Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 問題 / 问题 | wèntí |
| 困難 / 困难 | kùnnán |
| 難題 / 难题 | nántí |
| 麻煩 / 麻烦 | máfán |
问题 is the most common and widely understood word for a problem. It is used for both a question that is asked and a problem that has to be solved, so context tells you which one is meant.
Which one should you use?
困難 / 困难 (kùnnán) refers to difficulty or hardship as a state, not a specific question or problem. 難題 / 难题 (nántí) is a particularly tough problem or dilemma that is hard to solve. 麻煩 / 麻烦 (máfán) is a problem in the sense of trouble, a hassle or a nuisance that causes extra work.
How do you pronounce it?
問題 is pronounced wèntí in pinyin, with a falling tone on the first syllable and a rising tone on the second.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 困難 when you mean a specific problem or question. It describes a difficult situation in general, so 問題 is the safer choice for a problem you need to fix.
When do people say it?
沒問題 (méi wèntí) is the standard way to say no problem when you agree to a request or say that something is fine. 有問題 / 有问题 (yǒu wèntí) means there is a problem, and in a social context it can also mean that something or someone is suspicious.
Did you know?
- While 問題 / 问题 means 'problem', saying 你有問題 (nǐ yǒu wèntí) to someone can be a slang way of suggesting they are mentally unstable or 'crazy'.
- The character 問 / 问 in 問題 / 问题 is a compound consisting of a 'door' 門 / 门 and a 'mouth' 口, depicting someone asking a question through a doorway.
- To describe a problem as 'solved', Chinese uses the word 解決 / 解决 (jiějué), which literally means 'to untie' or 'to loosen' a knot.
Examples in context
- 他们正在讨论这个问题。They are discussing this problem.
- 这是一个难题，我们需要更多时间来解决。This is a difficult problem, we need more time to solve it.
- 我有个问题要问你。I have a question to ask you.
- 不好意思，我给你添了麻烦。I'm sorry to have caused you trouble.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “problem” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
