Introduction
谁 (shéi) means "who" — and unlike English, it does not care whether the person is the one doing something or the one it is done to. 谁 sits in whichever slot the answer would occupy: 谁来了？(Shéi lái le?) — Who came? 你找谁？(Nǐ zhǎo shéi?) — Who are you looking for?
Overview
Structure: Subj. + 是 (shì) + 谁 (shéi) ?
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| N + 是 + 谁 | 他是谁？(Tā shì shéi?) | Who is he? |
| 谁 as subject | 谁来了？(Shéi lái le?) | Who came? |
| 谁 as object | 你找谁？(Nǐ zhǎo shéi?) | Who are you looking for? |
| 谁的 + N | 这是谁的书？(Zhè shì shéi de shū?) | Whose book is this? |
| 跟谁 / 和谁 | 你跟谁去？(Nǐ gēn shéi qù?) | Who are you going with? |
谁 (shéi) has two readings and one meaning:
- shéi is what people actually say, and what you should use.
- shuí is the formal reading, heard in news broadcasts and songs.
- Same character, same meaning — pick shéi and you will always sound natural.
- "Whose" is simply 谁的 (shéi de), built with the same 的 (de) as 我的 (wǒ de): 谁的书？(Shéi de shū?) — whose book?
Examples
他是谁？
Tā shì shéi?
Who is he?
谁来了？
Shéi lái le?
Who's come?
你找谁？
Nǐ zhǎo shéi?
Who are you looking for?
这是谁的书？
Zhè shì shéi de shū?
Whose book is this?
你跟谁一起去？
Nǐ gēn shéi yìqǐ qù?
Who are you going with?
谁是你的老师？
Shéi shì nǐ de lǎoshī?
Who is your teacher?
Usage Notes
- English changes who to whom in the object slot. Chinese does not change anything — 谁 (shéi) is 谁 wherever it lands.
- 谁 (shéi) is already a question, so it never takes 吗 (ma). ❌ 他是谁吗？(Tā shì shéi ma?)
- When 谁 (shéi) is the subject, the sentence keeps the ordinary order: 谁来了？(Shéi lái le?) — exactly where 他 (tā) would go.
- To pick a person out of a group already in view, 哪个 (nǎge) is better than 谁 (shéi): 哪个是你妹妹？(Nǎge shì nǐ mèimei?)
- 谁都 (shéi dōu) means "everyone" or, with a negative, "nobody": 谁都知道。(Shéi dōu zhīdào.) — Everybody knows.