English has three separate, unpredictable words for locations — here, there, where — that you simply have to memorise. Chinese is kinder: it builds all three transparently out of the demonstratives 这 / 那 / 哪 you already know, by tacking on a "place" suffix. Add 儿 (r) or 里 (lǐ) and 这 ("this") becomes 这儿 / 这里 ("this place" = here), 那 ("that") becomes 那儿 / 那里 ("that place" = there), and 哪 ("which") becomes 哪儿 / 哪里 ("which place" = where). Once you see the pattern, you get all three location words for free.
Two suffixes, one meaning: 儿 vs 里
The two suffixes are completely interchangeable in meaning — the choice is purely about register and region:
| Meaning | 儿-form (colloquial, northern) | 里-form (neutral, common in the south & in writing) |
|---|---|---|
| here | 这儿 (zhèr) | 这里 (zhèlǐ) |
| there | 那儿 (nàr) | 那里 (nàlǐ) |
| where | 哪儿 (nǎr) | 哪里 (nǎlǐ) |
The 儿-forms carry the northern erhua "r" colouring — 这儿 is one syllable, zhèr, not "zhè-er." They dominate in Beijing and the north and sound casual and friendly. The 里-forms are two clean syllables, feel a touch more neutral, and are the safer choice in the south, in Taiwan (where 儿-forms are rare), and in writing. You can mix them freely; nobody will misunderstand 那里 for 那儿.
我在这儿，你慢慢过来。
wǒ zài zhèr, nǐ mànman guòlai
I'm right here, take your time coming over. (informal, northern flavour) — 这儿 = 'here'.
书就放在这里吧。
shū jiù fàng zài zhèlǐ ba
Just put the books here. (neutral) — 这里 = 'here', the same meaning as 这儿.
They are place nouns — use them after 在, 去, 到
这儿/这里 and their kin are nouns of location. That means they slot naturally into the places a location goes: after 在 (zài, "at/in"), after motion verbs like 去 (qù, "go") and 来 (lái, "come"), and after 到 (dào, "to/arrive"). You do not need any extra preposition — the place word carries the location by itself.
你在哪儿？我找不到你。
nǐ zài nǎr? wǒ zhǎo bú dào nǐ
Where are you? I can't find you. (informal) — 在 + 哪儿 asks a location, the standard phone-call question.
钥匙放在那里了，你没看见吗？
yàoshi fàng zài nàlǐ le, nǐ méi kànjiàn ma?
The keys are over there — didn't you see them? (informal) — 那里 as the resting-place after 放在.
周末你想去哪儿玩？
zhōumò nǐ xiǎng qù nǎr wán?
Where do you want to go for fun this weekend? (informal) — 去 + 哪儿, motion toward a place.
他刚到这里，还不太熟悉。
tā gāng dào zhèlǐ, hái bú tài shúxī
He just got here and isn't very familiar with the place yet. (neutral) — 到 + 这里.
Because the location question word 哪儿 / 哪里 stays exactly where the answer would go — right after 在 or 去 — you never front it the way English moves "where" to the start of the sentence. The question 你去哪儿？ ("where are you going?") keeps 哪儿 in the object slot, precisely where 图书馆 ("the library") would appear in the answer 我去图书馆. This is the same in-situ logic that governs question words in general.
Turning a person into a place: 我这儿, 老师那里
Here is a beautifully economical move that English has no clean equivalent for. Attach 这儿/这里 or 那儿/那里 to a person-word and you convert that person into a location — "at my place," "over where the teacher is," "at your end." 我 ("I") + 这儿 → 我这儿 = "my place / where I am"; 老师 + 那里 → 老师那里 = "the teacher's place / over by the teacher."
我这儿有点儿冷，你那儿呢？
wǒ zhèr yǒudiǎnr lěng, nǐ nàr ne?
It's a bit cold at my end — how about yours? (informal) — 我这儿 = 'where I am', 你那儿 = 'where you are', natural on a phone call.
这本词典老师那里有。
zhè běn cídiǎn lǎoshī nàlǐ yǒu
The teacher has this dictionary. (neutral) — literally 'this dictionary exists at the teacher's place'; 老师那里 turns a person into a location.
You need this construction because a bare person cannot be a location in Chinese — you cannot say 在我 for "at my place." The person has to be "placed" first with 这儿/那里. Use 这儿/这里 for yourself and whoever is near you, 那儿/那里 for a third party or someone far off.
哪 "which" vs 哪儿 "where" — keep them apart
The single most confusable pair here is 哪 (nǎ, "which") and 哪儿 (nǎr, "where"). They share the character 哪 but are different words with different jobs: 哪 needs a measure word and picks out one item from a set ("which one"), while 哪儿/哪里 is a complete place noun ("what location"). One extra 儿 or 里 flips the meaning from which thing to what place.
你要哪个？
nǐ yào nǎge?
Which one do you want? (informal) — 哪 + 个 asks 'which item'.
你要去哪儿？
nǐ yào qù nǎr?
Where do you want to go? (informal) — 哪儿 asks 'what place'; the 儿 is what makes it locational.
There is also the set phrase 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ), which is not a location at all — it is a modest deflection of a compliment, roughly "oh, not at all / you flatter me." Recognise it so it doesn't confuse you:
——你的中文说得真好！——哪里哪里。
nǐ de Zhōngwén shuō de zhēn hǎo! —— nǎlǐ nǎlǐ
'Your Chinese is really good!' — 'Oh, not at all.' (informal, modest) — 哪里哪里 is a formulaic humble reply, unrelated to 'where'.
Common Mistakes
1. Using bare 这/那/哪 as a location. The demonstrative alone means "this/that/which (thing)"; you must add 儿 or 里 to make it a place.
❌ 我在这。
Incomplete — bare 这 isn't a location word; you need the place suffix.
✅ 我在这儿。
wǒ zài zhèr
I'm here. — 这儿 (or 这里) is the actual place word.
2. Confusing 哪 (which) with 哪儿 (where). Dropping the 儿/里 turns "where" into the incomplete "which."
❌ 你去哪？
Incomplete for 'where are you going' — 哪 alone means 'which'; a location needs 哪儿/哪里.
✅ 你去哪儿？
nǐ qù nǎr?
Where are you going? — 哪儿 is the place-word 'where'.
3. Adding a preposition before the place word. 在/去/到 already do all the linking; no English-style "to/at" is needed.
❌ 我去到那里。（as plain 'I'm going there'）
Overloaded — 去 or 到, not both; say 我去那里 or 我到那里.
✅ 我去那里。
wǒ qù nàlǐ
I'm going there. — 去 + place word, nothing extra.
4. Trying to make a person a location without 这儿/那里. You cannot put 在 straight onto a person for "at someone's place."
❌ 钥匙在我。
Incorrect — a bare person can't be a location; place them first.
✅ 钥匙在我这儿。
yàoshi zài wǒ zhèr
The keys are with me / at my place. — 我这儿 turns 'me' into a location.
5. Reading 哪里哪里 literally. As a reply to praise it means "not at all," not "where where."
✅ ——你做的菜太好吃了！——哪里哪里。
nǐ zuò de cài tài hǎochī le! —— nǎlǐ nǎlǐ
'The food you made is delicious!' — 'You're too kind.' — 哪里哪里 is a set modest reply.
Key Takeaways
- 这儿/这里 = here, 那儿/那里 = there, 哪儿/哪里 = where — all built from 这/那/哪 plus a place suffix.
- 儿-forms are colloquial and northern (one syllable: zhèr, nàr, nǎr); 里-forms are neutral and preferred in the south, Taiwan, and writing. Same meaning; be consistent.
- They are place nouns: use them straight after 在 / 去 / 来 / 到 with no extra preposition, and leave 哪儿 in situ — never fronted.
- Attach them to a person to make a location: 我这儿 ("my place"), 老师那里 ("over by the teacher").
- Keep 哪 (which + measure word) apart from 哪儿 (where); and treat 哪里哪里 as a set modest "not at all."
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- 这 / 那 / 哪 + Measure WordHSK 1 — The demonstratives 这 (zhè, 'this'), 那 (nà, 'that') and the question form 哪 (nǎ, 'which') cannot sit straight on a noun the way English 'this book' does — they need a measure word in between (这本书, 那个人, 哪辆车), exactly as numbers do, and you slot a number in for more than one (这三本书).
- Localizers 方位词: Turning Nouns into PlacesHSK 1 — Localizers (方位词) — 上 (on), 下 (under), 里 (in), 外 (out), 前 (front), 后 (back) — attach AFTER a noun to make a place: 桌子上 'on the table', 房间里 'in the room'. Chinese needs them where English uses a preposition.
- 什么 / 谁 / 哪 as NounsHSK 1 — Chinese question words are ordinary nouns that stay put — 谁 (shéi, 'who'), 什么 (shénme, 'what') and 哪 (nǎ) + measure word ('which') sit exactly where the answer would go, with no fronting and no do-support (谁来了？, 你买什么？, 你要哪个？); being nouns, they can be possessed (谁的书) and modified (什么颜色), and the same words double as indefinites ('someone / anything').
- Question Words Stay In Place (In Situ)HSK 1 — The single most important rule for Chinese wh-questions: the question word sits exactly where the answer will sit. No fronting, no do-support, no reordering — 你去哪儿？ not ❌哪儿你去？ And because the question word already asks, you never add 吗.