谁

谁 (shéi, also pronounced shuí) is the Chinese question word for 'who' or 'whom.' It functions like English 'who' but with key word-order differences. Two things surprise English speakers: first, Chinese does NOT move question words to the front — 谁 stays in the same slot where the answer would go: 你是谁? ('you are who?' = 'who are you?'), 谁是老师? ('who is the teacher?'); second, 谁 can also mean 'anyone / no one / whoever' in non-question contexts: 谁都可以 ('anyone can'), 没人 ('no one,' though this uses 人 not 谁). Both readings (shéi, shuí) are correct; modern spoken Mandarin overwhelmingly prefers shéi. Possessive form is 谁的 ('whose'). The character has the 言 (speech) radical — a word about asking.

Note: Both pronunciations shéi and shuí are correct; shéi is more common in everyday spoken Mandarin, shuí is more formal or written.

Memory hook: Chinese keeps question words in place: '你是谁' is structurally 'You are WHO,' answered by 'You are X.' Same slot, no movement.