How to say “May I ask?” in Chinese

Word by word

What each part of 请问 actually means.

• 请qǐngplease
• 问wènto ask

When you use it

Drop 请问 in front of any question and it instantly sounds polite — literally "please may I ask". Every local does this in shops and station queues.

Use 请问 in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.

Common questions

How do you say "May I ask?" in Chinese?

"May I ask?" in Chinese is 请问 — written in pinyin as Qǐngwèn. It is a everyday phrase you would use in China.

What does 请问 mean in Chinese?

请问 (Qǐngwèn) means "May I ask?". Broken down word by word: 请 (qǐng) means "please"; 问 (wèn) means "to ask".

When would you use "May I ask?" in Chinese?

Drop 请问 in front of any question and it instantly sounds polite — literally "please may I ask". Every local does this in shops and station queues. You would say 请问 (Qǐngwèn) in everyday conversation.

More Everyday phrases

• 早上好。Good morning.
• 晚安。Good night.
• 好的。Okay.
• 我不知道。I don't know.