wèn

Wèn is a Mandarin Chinese syllable most commonly written as 问 in simplified Chinese and 問 in traditional Chinese. It is pronounced with the fourth (falling) tone, indicated in pinyin as wèn. The core meaning is “to ask” or “to inquire,” and it functions as a versatile verb in everyday language.

In usage, wèn appears in many common terms and phrases. For example, 问题 (wèntí) means “question” or “problem,” 问路 (wènlù) means “to ask for directions,” 问候 (wènhòu) means “to greet” or “to send regards,” and 询问 (xúnwèn) means “to inquire.” A related form, 质问 (zhìwèn), means “to question” or “to interrogate.” In classical Chinese, 问 likewise carried the sense of asking and appears in numerous literary expressions.

Etymology and form: the traditional character 問 and the simplified 问 share the same core meaning, with 问 retaining a doorway component in its composition. This visual association has contributed to the enduring link between the act of entering a space and asking questions. The word is widely used across registers, from colloquial speech to formal writing.

Wèn can also appear in personal names, though it is not among the most common standalone given names. In pinyin, it is distinguished from wén (second tone), as in 闻 “to hear” or 文 “culture,” and from wēn (first tone), as in 温 “warm,” by both tone and character.