Asking "Where Do You Live?" in Mandarin

Shanghai skyline at dusk

Dove Lee / Getty Images

There are many ways to ask where a person lives, depending on how specific you wish to be, or whether the person is from another country. Just as there are many ways to ask the question, there are many possible answers.

The following lesson gives some common question forms, as well as possible answers, for talking about where someone lives in Mandarin Chinese. Please note the use of the co-verb ►zài (在). Its use in the question form is optional, but is almost always needed in the answer, unless the answer contains a qualifier like “near to” or “behind.”

Where Do You Live?

Audio files are marked with ►

Where do you live?
Nǐ zhù zài nǎli?​
你住在哪裡?
What place do you live?
Nǐ zhù zài shēn me dìfāng?
你住在甚麼地方?
I live in Beijing.
Wǒ zhù zài Běijīng.
我住在北京。
I live close to the university.
Wǒ zhù zài dà xué jiē jìn.
我住在大學接近。

Where Are You From?

Where are you from?
Nǐ cóng nǎli lái de?
你從哪裡來的?
I’m from San Francisco.
Wǒ cóng Jiùjīnshān lái dé.
我從舊金山來的。
I’m from England.
Wǒ cóng Yīngguó lái de.
我從英國來的。

Which Country Do You Come From?

Which country do you come from? (What nationality are you?)
Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
你是哪國人?
I’m from Canada. (I’m Canadian.)
Wǒ shì Jiānádà rén.​
我是加拿大人。

What City Do You Live In?

What city do you live in?
Nǐ zhù zài nǎ yīge chéng shì​
你住在哪一個城市?
I live in Shanghai.
Wǒ zhù zài Shànghǎi.
我住在上海。

What Part of the City?

What part of the city do you live in?
Nǐ zhù zài shēn me dìfāng?
你住在甚麼地方?
What part of Shanghai do you live in?
Shànghǎi shénme dìfāng?
上海甚麼地方?

Addresses

Mandarin addresses are written the opposite of Western addresses. They start with the country, then the city, street, section, lane, alley, number, and floor.

What’s your address?
Nǐ de dì zhǐ shì shénme?
你的地址是甚麼?
The address is #834 Quyang Street, 3rd Floor, Shanghai City.
Dì zhǐ shì Shànghǎi shì, Qǔyáng lù, 834 hào, sān lóu.
地址是 上海市曲陽路834號三樓。
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Su, Qiu Gui. "Asking "Where Do You Live?" in Mandarin." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/where-do-you-live-2279377. Su, Qiu Gui. (2023, April 5). Asking "Where Do You Live?" in Mandarin. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/where-do-you-live-2279377 Su, Qiu Gui. "Asking "Where Do You Live?" in Mandarin." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/where-do-you-live-2279377 (accessed March 28, 2024).