哪 (nǎ) means "which," and it behaves very differently from 什么 (shénme, "what"). Where 什么 is open-ended, 哪 picks from a known set of options — so, exactly like the demonstratives 这 (this) and 那 (that), it must be counted with a measure word. The pattern to burn in is 哪 + measure word + (noun). Say it as one chunk — 哪个, 哪本, 哪种 — and you'll never produce the beginner error ❌哪书.
Why 哪 needs a measure word
"Which" presupposes a limited menu: which of these books, which one of the cups on the table. In Mandarin, anything you select or count from a set goes through a measure word (classifier). That's exactly the logic behind demonstratives — 这本书 (this book), 那本书 (that book) — and 哪 slots straight into the same frame: 哪本书 (which book). The three words 这 / 那 / 哪 are a matched set: this / that / which?, all sharing one measure-word requirement.
| Demonstrative / question | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 这本书 | zhè běn shū | this book |
| 那本书 | nà běn shū | that book |
| 哪本书 | nǎ běn shū | which book? |
你喜欢哪本书？
nǐ xǐhuan nǎ běn shū?
Which book do you like? (neutral) — 哪 + 本 (measure word) + 书, staying in situ after 喜欢.
哪个是你的？
nǎ ge shì nǐ de?
Which one is yours? (informal) — 哪个 with the object dropped; 个 is the default classifier.
你去哪个城市？
nǐ qù nǎ ge chéngshì?
Which city are you going to? (neutral) — 哪个城市, question word left in the object slot.
The 哪 + measure word family
The measure word you use is the same one the noun would take in a statement. If a book is 一本书, then "which book" is 哪本书; if a type is 一种, "which type" is 哪种. Here are the ones you'll reach for constantly:
| 哪 + MW (+ noun) | Pinyin | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| 哪个 | nǎ ge | which one | neutral |
| 哪本书 | nǎ běn shū | which book | neutral |
| 哪种 | nǎ zhǒng | which kind / type | neutral |
| 哪杯 | nǎ bēi | which cup / glass | informal |
| 哪天 | nǎ tiān | which day | informal |
| 哪位 | nǎ wèi | which person / who | polite / formal |
你想喝哪种茶？
nǐ xiǎng hē nǎ zhǒng chá?
Which kind of tea do you want to drink? (neutral) — 种 counts types, so 'which type' is 哪种.
哪杯是我的咖啡？
nǎ bēi shì wǒ de kāfēi?
Which cup is my coffee? (informal) — 杯 as the classifier, so 'which cup' is 哪杯.
请问，您找哪位？
qǐngwèn, nín zhǎo nǎ wèi?
Excuse me, who are you looking for? (polite) — 哪位 is the courteous 'which person', standard on the phone.
哪 (nǎ) vs 那 (nà): a one-tone difference
The trap that catches every learner: 哪 (nǎ, third tone) is the question "which?"; 那 (nà, fourth tone) is the statement word "that." They differ only in tone — and, in speech, by whether you're asking. Get the tone wrong and "which book?" collapses into "that book." Keep them apart by ear: rising-dipping nǎ = a question; sharp falling nà = pointing at something. See the full 这/那 demonstratives page for 那.
那本书是我的，哪本是你的？
nà běn shū shì wǒ de, nǎ běn shì nǐ de?
That book is mine — which one is yours? (informal) — 那 (that) and 哪 (which) side by side, same 本.
Common Mistakes
1. Dropping the measure word. 哪 selects from a set, so a classifier is obligatory.
❌ 你喜欢哪书？
Incorrect — 哪 needs a measure word: say 哪本书.
✅ 你喜欢哪本书？
nǐ xǐhuan nǎ běn shū?
Which book do you like? — 哪 + 本 + 书.
2. Using bare 哪 for 'which one'. For "which one" with no stated noun, you still need a measure word: 哪个.
❌ 哪是你的？
Incorrect — 哪 alone can't stand for 'which one'; add 个.
✅ 哪个是你的？
nǎ ge shì nǐ de?
Which one is yours? — 哪个, measure word included.
3. Confusing 哪 (which) with 那 (that). A wrong tone turns a question into a statement.
❌ 你要那个？
Wrong meaning if you meant 'which one' — 那个 (nà ge) means 'that one', a statement, not the question.
✅ 你要哪个？
nǐ yào nǎ ge?
Which one do you want? — 哪个 (nǎ ge), third tone, is the question.
4. Using 什么 to choose among visible options. Pointing at a fixed set calls for 哪, not open-ended 什么.
❌ 菜单上，你想点什么个菜？
Incorrect — mixing 什么 with a measure word; to pick from the menu use 哪个菜 or plain 什么菜.
✅ 菜单上，你想点哪个菜？
càidān shang, nǐ xiǎng diǎn nǎ ge cài?
On the menu, which dish do you want to order? — 哪个 selects from the listed set.
Key Takeaways
- 哪 (nǎ) means "which" and always takes a measure word: 哪个, 哪本书, 哪种 — never bare ❌哪.
- The pattern is 哪 + MW + (noun), mirroring 这/那 exactly: this / that / which.
- Use the same classifier the noun takes in a statement (一本书 → 哪本书); when unsure, 哪个 is the safe default.
- 哪 (nǎ, third tone) = "which?"; 那 (nà, fourth tone) = "that." Same character-ish, opposite jobs — keep the tones apart.
- 哪 selects from a known set; 什么 is open-ended and takes no measure word.
Now practice Chinese
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- 什么 (shénme): What / What Kind OfHSK 1 — 什么 (shénme) is Mandarin's all-purpose 'what' — it stays in situ where the answer will go (你想吃什么？), and placed before a noun it means 'what kind of / which N' with no measure word (什么书, 什么颜色).
- 哪儿 / 哪里 (nǎr / nǎlǐ): WhereHSK 1 — 'Where' is 哪儿 (nǎr, northern/colloquial) or 哪里 (nǎlǐ, standard/southern) — interchangeable in meaning. Both stay in situ in the place slot after the verb or coverb (你去哪儿？在哪里？), never fronted English-style.
- Why Classifiers Are ObligatoryHSK 1 — Whenever you count a noun or point at it, Chinese demands a measure word between the number/demonstrative and the noun — 三本书, not 三书 — because a bare Chinese noun names a kind of thing, not a countable unit, so a classifier is what packages it into countable units.
- 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).