哪儿/哪兒 nǎr — where

Meanings

1. 1

   where

   The question word for place. Like every Chinese question word it stays where the answer belongs — after 在 or 去 — so 你在哪儿 is answered by 我在家 with no reordering.

   pronoun

Northern speakers say 哪儿 nǎr; in the south and in Taiwan the same question is 哪里 nǎlǐ. The two are interchangeable.

Character breakdown

• 儿/兒

  ér (second tone, rising)

  child; son (in 儿子); the retroflex suffix -r written after a noun

  2 strokesRadical 儿

Example sentences

• 你在哪儿？/你在哪兒？Nǐ (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) nǎr? (third tone, dipping)···

  Where are you?

• 我们去哪儿吃饭？/我們去哪兒吃飯？Wǒmen (third tone, dipping) qù (fourth tone, falling) nǎr (third tone, dipping) chīfàn? (first tone, high and level)···

  Where shall we go to eat?

Similar words

Words containing 儿

• 儿子/兒子érzi (second tone, rising)son
• 女儿/女兒nǚ (third tone, dipping) ér (second tone, rising)daughter
• 一会儿/一會兒yíhuìr (second tone, rising)a little while, a moment
• 儿童/兒童ér (second tone, rising) tóng (second tone, rising)child
• 这儿/這兒zhè (fourth tone, falling) r (neutral tone)here
• 婴儿/嬰兒yīng (first tone, high and level) ér (second tone, rising)infant
• 那儿/那兒nà (fourth tone, falling) r (neutral tone)there
• 孤儿/孤兒gū (first tone, high and level) ér (second tone, rising)orphan
• 幼儿园/幼兒園yòu (fourth tone, falling) ér (second tone, rising) yuán (second tone, rising)kindergarten
• 玩儿/玩兒wán (second tone, rising) r (neutral tone)to play
• 胎儿/胎兒tāi (first tone, high and level) ér (second tone, rising)unborn child
• 味儿/味兒wèi (fourth tone, falling) r (neutral tone)taste
• 活儿/活兒huó (second tone, rising) r (neutral tone)work
• 儿女/兒女ér (second tone, rising) nǚ (third tone, dipping)children; sons and daughters
• 有点儿/有點兒yǒu (third tone, dipping) diǎn (third tone, dipping) r (neutral tone)slightly
• 没事儿/沒事兒méi (second tone, rising) shì (fourth tone, falling) r (neutral tone)to have spare time
• 一块儿/一塊兒yī (first tone, high and level) kuài (fourth tone, falling) r (neutral tone)erhua variant of 一块