啥人
shárén
The English word 'who' can be expressed in Mandarin using several forms, with 啥人 (shárén) being the default form in this context. Wiktionary also lists 何人 (hérén) and 誰人 / 谁人 (shéirén, shuírén).
Meaning: who? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 啥人 | shárén | ||
| 何人 | hérén | /xɤ³⁵ ɻən³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /hɔː²¹ jɐn²¹/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 誰人 / 谁人 | shéirén, shuírén | ||
| 阿誰 / 阿谁 | āshéi, āshuí | ||
| 啥人 | siáⁿ-lâng | /siã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ laŋ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Yilan, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese, Sanxia) /siã⁴²⁻²⁴ laŋ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Yilan, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Sanxia) |
Hokkien |
| 誰 / 谁 | sûi, chûi, chūi, cho̍ah, chiâ, chôa, tiâng, siáng, siâng | Hokkien | |
| 啥物人 | siáⁿ-mih-lâng, siáⁿ-mí-lâng, sáng-n̂g, siàng-n̂g | Hokkien | |
| 甚物人 | sím-mih-lâng | Hokkien | |
| 是誰 / 是谁 | chī-chūi, sī-sûi | Hokkien | |
| 底人 | tī-lâng | /ti²²⁻²¹ laŋ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Sinological IPA) /ti²¹⁻²¹³ laŋ¹¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Sinological IPA, Longyan, Longyan) |
Hokkien |
These terms are interrogative pronouns used to ask about the identity of a person. The word Shéi (谁) is the most common word for 'who' in Mandarin and is used in both formal and informal contexts.
Which one should you use?
The forms provided vary significantly by dialect and formality. Forms like 啥人, 啥物人 and 甚物人 are specific to Hokkien. 何人 is a more formal or literary way to say 'who' compared to colloquial alternatives.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a formal or literary tone in Mandarin, use 何人.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The forms сый (Dungan), 啥人 (Hokkien), 誰 / 谁 (Hokkien), 啥物人 (Hokkien), 甚物人 (Hokkien), 是誰 / 是谁 (Hokkien) and 底人 (Hokkien) are specific to those particular languages or dialects.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 啥人 is /siã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ laŋ²⁴/.
Did you know?
- The formal term 何人 can make a person sound like a character from a historical period drama or a classical poem.
- The character for 'who' in its classical form contains the component for 'bird', which serves as the phonetic element.
- While many learners use 'shéi' as a single concept, in some dialects the word is actually a contraction of the phrase 'shì shuí' which literally means 'is who'.
Examples in context
- 下跪何人？報上名來。Who is kneeling down [before me]? Declare [your] name to [me].The sentence using 何人 is useful for asking someone to declare their name.
- 啥人曉得今朝夜裏停電？Who had known that there will be a blackout tonight?The sentence using 啥人 is useful for asking who had knowledge of a specific event.
- Shuí zài zhèr? (谁在这儿?)Who is here?
- Nǐ kànjiàn le nǎ ge rén? (你看见了哪个人?)Which person did you see?
Example conversation
Junjie and Yuting are at the front door of a house.
- 俊杰 Junjie門口有啥人？mén kǒu yǒu shá rén?Who is at the door?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想是快遞員。wǒ xiǎng shì kuài dì yuán.I think it is the delivery person.
- 俊杰 Junjie你確定是啥人嗎？nǐ què dìng shì shá rén ma?Are you sure who it is?
- 雨婷 Yuting對，我看見他了。duì, wǒ kàn jiàn tā le.Yes, I saw him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “who” translations and entries 啥人, 何人, 啥人, 底人, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 誰, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
