为什么wèi shén mewhy?; for what reason?

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated October 25, 2026

为什么 (wèi shén me) means “why?” or “for what reason?”. It is a question phrase placed after the subject and before the predicate to ask for a reason. Chinese keeps statement word order; you do not move 为什么 to the front the way English often moves “why”.

What does 为什么 mean?

1.
why?; for what reason?phrase

What do the characters in 为什么 mean?

为because of; for; to
什what
么suffix forming 什么 etc.

How do you use 为什么?

Grammar patterns

1
Subj. + 为什么 + Predicate?
Place 为什么 after the subject and before the predicate to ask why. Word order stays like a statement.

为什么 sits where the reason would be asked about; answers often start with 因为.

Patterns

Subj. + 为什么 + Verb…？
你为什么学中文？
Nǐ wèi shénme xué Zhōngwén?
Why do you study Chinese?
为什么 + 不 + Verb…？
他为什么不来？
Tā wèi shénme bù lái?
Why isn't he coming?

What are some examples of 为什么 in a sentence?

HSK 2
你为什么学中文？
Nǐ wèishénme xué Zhōngwén?
Why do you study Chinese?
HSK 2
他为什么不来？
Tā wèishénme bù lái?
Why isn't he coming?
HSK 2
他们为什么不喝咖啡？
Tāmen wèishénme bù hē kāfēi?
Why don't they drink coffee?
HSK 2
你早上为什么不在？
Nǐ zǎoshang wèishénme bù zài?
Why were you not here this morning?

How is 为什么 different from 因为?

为什么 asks for a reason (“why?”). 因为 (yīn wèi) gives the reason (“because…”).

Only 为什么 fits here

你为什么学中文？

Nǐ wèi shénme xué Zhōngwén?

Why do you study Chinese?

How is 为什么 used in a conversation?

Speaker A:
你为什么学中文？
Nǐ wèishénme xué Zhōngwén?
Why do you study Chinese?
Speaker B:
因为我在中国工作。
Yīnwèi wǒ zài Zhōngguó gōngzuò.
Because I'm working in China.
Speaker A:
他为什么不来？
Tā wèishénme bù lái?
Why isn't he coming?
Speaker B:
因为他很忙。
Yīnwèi tā hěn máng.
Because he is busy.

Can you use 为什么 correctly?

0 of 3 answered

1.Fill in the blank: 你___学中文？
2.Fill in the blank: ___他很忙，所以他不来。
3.Which word asks for a reason: 他___不来？

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.