字Study Chinese Characters
问

wèn to ask

6 strokes

问 (wèn) is a Chinese character meaning “to ask”. It is written from 门 (door; gate) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.

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Structure

门 + 口

Enclosing structure

  • 门 door; gate · mén sound
  • 口 mouth · kǒu meaning

Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿵门口；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：第 1–3 笔属 门，第 4–6 笔属 口

Memory aid

A mouth (口) standing inside a gate (门). Both parts are really in this character: you come to someone's gate and open your mouth — you ask.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

6 strokes

In real words

  • 问题wèn tíquestion; problem问 = wènHSK 1
  • 请问qǐng wènmay I ask; excuse me问 = wènHSK 1
  • 刨根问底páo gēn wèn dǐto dig up the root and ask to the bottom — to get to the bottom of something问 = wèn
  • 访问fǎng wènto visit; to call on; to access问 = wèn
  • 拷问kǎo wènto interrogate under torture问 = wèn
  • 询问xún wènto ask about; to inquire问 = wèn
  • 追问zhuī wènto question closely; to press for an answer问 = wèn
  • 问卷wèn juànquestionnaire问 = wèn
Go deeper

All readings

wèn main reading

to ask

to ask; to inquire; to question

向别人提出问题，请求回答；也指询问、过问。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 问题wèn tíquestion; problem问 = wènHSK 1
  • 请问qǐng wènmay I ask; excuse me问 = wènHSK 1
  • 刨根问底páo gēn wèn dǐto dig up the root and ask to the bottom — to get to the bottom of something问 = wèn
  • 访问fǎng wènto visit; to call on; to access问 = wèn
  • 拷问kǎo wènto interrogate under torture问 = wèn
  • 询问xún wènto ask about; to inquire问 = wèn
  • 追问zhuī wènto question closely; to press for an answer问 = wèn
  • 问卷wèn juànquestionnaire问 = wèn

Sound component

门 family onset shift

Other characters with these parts

门 → 们闪闭闯闰闲间闷

口 → 中串兄免兑加占古

Easy to confuse with

间闪

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 问 mean?

问 (wèn) means to ask; to inquire; to question.

How do you pronounce 问?

It is pronounced wèn.

What parts is 问 made of?

门 (door; gate) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿵门口；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：第 1–3 笔属 门，第 4–6 笔属 口. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 问 have?

6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 问?

门. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.

What words use 问?

Common ones are 问题 and 请问. The reading of 问 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.