问问 (wèn wèn) — to ask casually, to inquire briefly; (in inform…

Definition

问问 (wènwen) is the casual, brief form of 问 — like saying 'just to ask' or 'quick question'. Doubling softens the act of asking, making it friendlier and less pushy than plain 问.

bound form

to ask casuallyto inquire briefly(in informal suggestions) to ask about something

Examples

问问。
Wǒ xiǎng wèn wèn tā jǐ gè wèn tí.
I want to ask him a few questions.
问问。
Nǐ qù wèn wèn yǒu méi yǒu pián yi de fáng jiān.
Go ask if there are any cheap rooms.
问问。
Wǒ wèn wèn yí xià lù.
I'll quickly ask for directions.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

问wènask

The 问问 form gives a brief, casual asking.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 問; 问 is its simplified writing.

門口問

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

門

門mén問wèn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 問 combines 口 (mouth) with 門, which gives the sound; the simplified 问 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 问 →