什么【shénme】

shén me什幺 asks "what", in the slot where the answer belongs.

什么 + noun: "what kind of"

In front of a noun, 什么 asks what kind. It takes no measure word, unlike 哪.

什么 or 哪个

什么 asks openly, with no options on the table. nǎ ge哪个 asks you to pick from a set both speakers can see.

Fixed questions built on 什么

shén me shí hou什幺时候 asks when, wèi shén me为什幺 asks why, and 叫什么名字 asks a name.

什么 as "everything" and "nothing"

With 都 or 也 after it, 什么 stops asking. With a positive verb it means "everything"; under negation, "nothing".

Common mistake

English order, with "what" pulled to the front, does not carry over.

• × 什么你吃？ → 你吃什么？