谁
谁 (shéi) means “who”. It is made of 讠 + 隹 and has 10 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word.
Break 谁 into its parts
What 谁 is made of
- 讠 yán — speech
- 隹 zhuī — short-tailed bird
- 亻 rén — person
Origin hint: 讠 gives the meaning, 隹 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
那个人是谁？Nàge rén shì shéi?Who is that person?
这是谁的书？Zhè shì shéi de shū?Whose book is this?
Also built with 讠
- 认rènto know
- 记jìto remember
- 识shíto know
- 诉sùto tell
- 试shìto try
- 话huàwords
- 语yǔlanguage
- 说shuōto speak
- 请qǐngplease
- 读dúto read
- 课kèlesson
- 谢xièthank
Quick facts
| Pinyin | shéi |
|---|---|
| Meaning | who |
| Strokes | 10 |
| Radical | 言 (speech, #149) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 3.0 · Level 1 · HSK 2.0 · Level 1 |
Questions about 谁
What does 谁 mean?
谁 (shéi) means “who”.
How many strokes does 谁 have?
谁 has 10 strokes.
What is the radical of 谁?
The radical of 谁 is 言 (yán, “speech”), Kangxi radical number 149.
What parts make up 谁?
谁 is made of 讠 (speech) and 隹 (short-tailed bird).
Which HSK level is 谁?
谁 is in HSK 3.0 · Level 1 and HSK 2.0 · Level 1.
Learn 谁 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 · Group 1: 10 words with quick checks and spaced repeats.