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The three most common question particles in Chinese are 吗/ma，呢/ne and 吧/ba. How do they differ? How do you use them? Read more to find out!
Similarities
There are three main similarities between them.
- Like all the Chinese particles, 吗/ma, 呢/ne, 吧/ba are pronounced with a neutral tone.
- 吗/ma, 呢/ne, 吧/ba should be put at the end of a sentence.
- All three can be used to form a question.
Here are some examples:
- 你是学生吗？
Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
Are you a student?
- 我去电影院，你呢？
Wǒ qù diànyǐngyuàn, nǐ ne?
I am going to the movies, how about you?
- 这是你的吧？
Zhè shì nǐ de ba?
It is yours, isn’t it?
Differences
Different contexts call for different question particles. Take a look at the detailed comparison between 吗/ma，呢/ne and 吧/ba below.
Questions with 吗 (ma)
吗 — for yes/no questions
If you add 吗/ma at the end of a statement, the statement will become a “yes/no question”, also known as a polar question – the kind you can answer with a “yes” or “no”.
- 他哥哥在中国学习中文。
Tā gēge zài Zhōngguó xuéxí zhōngwén.
His brother is learning Chinese in China.
⇒ 他哥哥在中国学习中文吗？
Tā gēge zài Zhōngguó xuéxí zhōngwén ma?
Is his brother learning Chinese in China?
- 这个房子是你的。
Zhège fángzi shì nǐ de.
This is your house.
⇒ 这个房子是你的吗？
Zhège fángzi shì nǐ de ma?
Is this your house?
- 那部电影特别有意思。
Nà bù diànyǐng tèbié yǒuyìsi.
That movie is very interesting.
⇒ 那部电影特别有意思吗？
Nà bù diànyǐng tèbié yǒuyìsi ma？
Is that movie very interesting?
吗 — for tag questions
Except for the yes/no question, 吗/ma also can be used to form a tag question, such as “好吗/hǎo ma/okay?”, “对吗/duì ma/right?”, and “可以吗/kěyǐ ma/can I?”, for checking information that the speaker thinks he or she knows is true or for softening a suggestion.
- 你想去中国，是吗？
Nǐ xiǎng qù zhōngguó, shì ma?
You want to go to China, don’t you?
- 咱们去逛街，好吗？
Zánmen qù guàngjiē, hǎo ma?
Let’s go shopping, shall we?
- 我去趟厕所，可以吗？
Wǒ qù tàng cèsuǒ, kěyǐ ma?
I want to go to the toilet, can I?
Questions with 呢 (ne)
呢 — for bounce-back questions
In some cases, 呢/ne at the end of a sentence will turn it into a bounce-back question and keep the conversation moving.
- A：你好吗？
Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
B：挺好的，你呢？
Tǐng hǎo de, nǐ ne?
Pretty good, and you?
- A：您身体怎么样？
Nín shēntǐ zěnme yàng?
How is your health?
B：很健康，你妈妈呢？
Hěn jiànkāng, nǐ māma ne？
I am in good health, what about your mum?
- A：你在哪儿？
Nǐ zài nǎ’er?
Where are you?
B：中国，你姐姐呢？
Zhōngguó, nǐ jiějiě ne?
In China, what about your sister?
呢 — for “where” questions
Sometimes, 呢/ne can be put right after the subject to ask where someone or something is.
- 我的钱呢？
Wǒ de qián ne?
Where’s my money?
- 你奶奶呢？
Nǐ nǎinai ne?
Where is your grandma?
- 我钥匙呢？
Wǒ yàoshi ne?
Where’s my key?
呢 — for emphasis
Unlike 吗/ma, 呢/ne can be used along with other question words, such as “为什么/wèishéme/why?”, “什么/shéme/what?”, to emphasize a query.
- 你什么时候来的呢？
Nǐ shénme shíhòu lái de ne?
So when did you come?
- 他为什么喜欢你呢？
Tā wèishéme xǐhuān nǐ ne?
So why does he like you?
- 你妈妈有什么喜欢吃的东西呢？
Nǐ māmā yǒu shé me xǐhuān chī de dōngxī ne?
So what does your mother like to eat?
These questions are grammatically correct even without 呢/ne, but with it, they sound even more questioning.
Questions with 吧 (ba)
吧 — for educated guesses
As a question particle, 吧/ba is often used to confirm the speaker’s guess. It’s common to add “对吧/duì ba/right?”, “是吧/shì ba/correct?”, or just 吧/ba at the end of the sentence.
- 这是你的书，对吧？
Zhè shì nǐ de shū, duì ba?
= 这是你的书吧？
Zhè shì nǐ de shū ba?
This is your book, right?
- 你会说普通话，对吧？
Nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà, duì ba?
= 你会说普通话吧？
Nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ba?
You can speak Mandarin, yeah?
- 他是你弟弟，是吧?
Tā shì nǐ dìdì, shì ba?
= 他是你弟弟吧？
Tā shì nǐ dìdì ba?
He is your brother, isn’t he?
Hope you found this little guide helpful! Make sure to practice using 吗/ma, 呢/ne, and 吧/ba in different contexts and ask native speakers for guidance 🙂
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