哪【nǎ】

nǎ哪 asks "which". Like 这 and 那, it needs a measure word before the noun.

It stays where the answer would stand

哪 does not move to the front of the sentence. Ask about the object and 哪个 sits in the object slot; ask about the subject and it sits in the subject slot.

The sentence takes no 吗: 哪 already makes it a question.

• × 你要哪个吗？ → 你要哪个？

哪些 and set phrases

nǎ xiē哪些 asks "which ones" and takes no measure word. A few nouns that count themselves – 国, 天, 年 – follow 哪 directly.

哪 and 那

nǎ asks; nà points. The characters differ only by the 口 on the left, and in speech the tone is what separates them. In speech, 哪个 is also pronounced něige and 那个 nèige.