Question Particles 吗/呢
Question particles 吗 and 呢 for forming questions
I can form yes/no questions with 吗 and follow-up questions with 呢
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
你是学生吗？
Are you a student?
我很好，你呢？
I'm fine, and you?
你叫什么名字？
What is your name?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
吗和呢 — Question Particles
Chinese forms questions by adding particles to the end of statements — no word order change needed.
| Particle | Pinyin | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吗 | ma | yes/no question | 你好吗？(How are you?) |
| 呢 | ne | reciprocal / follow-up | 你呢？(And you?) |
吗 turns any statement into a yes/no question: 他是老师 → 他是老师吗？(Is he a teacher?)
呢 asks the same question back or signals a follow-up: 我很好，你呢？(I'm fine, and you?)
Key rule: Do NOT use 吗 with question words (谁/什么/哪里). Say 你叫什么？NOT *你叫什么吗？
Common Error Patterns
Used 吗 together with a question word (谁/什么/哪里)
Never combine 吗 with question words. 你叫什么？(correct) vs *你叫什么吗？(wrong).
你是学生吗？
Are you a student?
Statement 你是学生 + 吗 = yes/no question. No word order change — just add 吗 at the end.
我很好，你呢？
I'm fine, and you?
呢 (ne) bounces the question back: 'I answered, now what about you?' It avoids repeating the full question.
你叫什么名字？
What is your name?
什么 (shénme, what) is a question word — do NOT add 吗. *你叫什么名字吗？is wrong. Question words replace 吗.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises