What does 什么 mean?

什么 (shénme) means "what" in English. It is an HSK 1 vocabulary word.

What is the traditional form of 什么?

The traditional Chinese form of 什么 is 什麼.

How many strokes does 什 have?

什 has 4 strokes. Follow the stroke order diagram above to write it correctly.

Which HSK level is 什么 in?

什么 is part of the HSK 1 word list, so it belongs to the beginner vocabulary band taught in the daily lessons.

HSK 1 word · question word

什么

shénme

what

Traditional: 什麼

Stroke order

See how to write 什么

Watch the animation, then write the character yourself — stroke order matters for speed and recognition.

什

4 strokes

么

3 strokes

Example sentence

你喝什么？

Nǐ hē shénme?

What do you drink?

More sentences with 什么

你叫什么名字？

Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

What is your name?

你喝什么？

Nǐ hē shénme?

What do you drink?

这个词是什么意思？

Zhè ge cí shì shénme yìsi?

What does this word mean?

Character breakdown

亻

person

十

ten

什

what

A person (亻) and ten (十) — used in 什么 (what).

See every word built from the radical 什 →

Keep exploring

Questions and Adjectives topic

Study 什么 together with related questions and adjectives vocabulary.

Story: Kill with a Borrowed Knife

Read 什么 inside a graded Chinese story.

Frequently asked questions about 什么

What does 什么 mean?: 什么 (shénme) means "what" in English. It is an HSK 1 vocabulary word.
What is the traditional form of 什么?: The traditional Chinese form of 什么 is 什麼.
How many strokes does 什 have?: 什 has 4 strokes. Follow the stroke order diagram above to write it correctly.
Which HSK level is 什么 in?: 什么 is part of the HSK 1 word list, so it belongs to the beginner vocabulary band taught in the daily lessons.