HSK 5 · Verbs

提问 tíwèn “to question” in Chinese

Traditional 提問

What 提问 means

  1. to question
  2. to quiz
  3. to grill

How to say 提问

  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale提tí2nd tone, rising
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale问wèn4th tone, falling

提问 in a sentence

  1. 尽管提问。

    Jǐnguǎn tíwèn.

    Feel free to ask questions.

    Sentence #1397035 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 男孩们在提问。

    Nánháimen zài tíwèn.

    The boys are asking questions.

    Sentence #3647412 from Tatoeba

  3. 我试着用法语提问。

    Wǒ shì zhe yòng Fǎyǔ tíwèn.

    I’m trying to ask questions in French.

    Sentence #447492 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 提问 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 提 (tí) with each of its parts in a different colour
提títo carry
  • 扌hand form of 手 · shǒuMeaning part
  • 是to be · shìSound part

扌 hints at the meaning (hand); 是 (shì) hints at the sound. Compare it with tí.

The character 问 (wèn) with each of its parts in a different colour
问wènto ask; to inquire
  • 门gate · ménSound part
  • 口mouth · kǒuMeaning part

口 hints at the meaning (mouth); 门 (mén) hints at the sound. Compare it with wèn.

Memory aidA mouth 口 at the gate 门, with 门 (mén) giving the sound: to ask.

How to write 提问

提 12 strokes · 问 6 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

提问 (tíwèn) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 提问 (tíwèn). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 提问

Words with 提

提高tígāo · to raise提tí · to carry提醒tíxǐng · to remind提供tígōng · to offer提前tíqián · to bring forward提出tíchū · to put forward提倡tíchàng · to promote提纲tígāng · outline提示tíshì · to prompt提议tíyì · to propose

Words with 问

请问qǐngwèn · Excuse me问wèn · to ask问题wèntí · question问候wènhòu · to give one’s respects询问xúnwèn · to inquire疑问yíwèn · question学问xuéwèn · learning反问fǎnwèn · to ask a rhetorical question过问guòwèn · to concern oneself with慰问wèiwèn · to express sympathy

More words: Thinking & Talking

说服shuōfú · to persuade思考sīkǎo · to reflect on思想sīxiǎng · thought谈判tánpàn · to negotiate体会tǐhuì · to know from experience推辞tuīcí · to decline (an offer or invitation)推荐tuījiàn · to recommend委屈wěiqu · to feel wronged

FAQs

提问 (tíwèn) means “to question” or “to quiz”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it tíwèn: tí with a 2nd tone, then wèn with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 提问 is written 提問. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type tiwen with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 提问 from the suggestions. Typing tiwen into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
提问 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.