When do I use 谁 vs 谁的?

Use 谁 to ask 'who' or 'whom' about a person. Use 谁的 to ask 'whose' about possession. The particle 的 is the key difference: if your question involves ownership, you must add 的 after 谁.

Can 谁的 be used without a noun after it?

Yes. For example, '这是谁的？' (Whose is this?) or simply '谁的？' (Whose?) are perfectly natural in context. The 的 is still required.

Is 谁 only used for people?

Yes, 谁 always refers to people (or personified animals/objects). For things, use 什么 or 哪. For possession of things by people, use 谁的.

Can I use 谁 + noun to mean 'whose' without 的?

No. Without 的, the phrase 谁书 would be ungrammatical for 'whose book'. The only exception is a few fixed phrases like 谁家 (shéi jiā, 'whose home'), but even there 的 is more standard: 谁的家.

Easily confusedHSK 1

谁 vs 谁的 (shéi vs shéi de): “who” or “whose”?

谁 (shéi) means “who” and is used to ask about a person’s identity as a subject or object. 谁的 (shéi de) means “whose” and asks about possession, always requiring the possessive particle 的. Confusion arises because learners often drop the 的 when asking “whose?”.

Both 谁 (shéi) and 谁的 (shéi de) are interrogative pronouns referring to people, but they occupy different grammatical roles. 谁 functions as a pronoun meaning “who” or “whom” – it can be the subject or object of a verb. 谁的 is the possessive form, created by attaching the particle 的 to 谁, and translates to “whose”. The key rule is that when the question is about ownership or belonging, the 的 must be present; omitting it changes the meaning to a simple “who” question.

Cuándo usar cada uno

谁shuí

who

Use 谁 to ask about the identity of a person. It can serve as the subject (e.g., 谁来了？) or the object (e.g., 你找谁？) of a verb. 谁 is never used alone to indicate possession.

谁的shuí de

whose

Use 谁的 to ask about possession or ownership. It must always include the particle 的. 谁的 can stand alone (e.g., 谁的？) or modify a noun (e.g., 谁的手机？).

De un vistazo

	谁	谁的
Meaning	asks about a person (who/whom)	asks about possession (whose)
Grammatical function	subject or object of a verb	possessive pronoun or determiner
Structure	interrogative pronoun alone	interrogative pronoun + possessive particle 的
Can it modify a noun?	No	Yes – e.g., 谁的铅笔

Ejemplos

谁
他是谁？
Tā shì shuí?
Who is he?
Using 谁 as subject complement.
谁
谁来了？
Shuí lái le?
Who came?
Using 谁 as subject.
谁
你找谁？
Nǐ zhǎo shuí?
Whom are you looking for?
Using 谁 as object.
谁的
这是谁的包？
Zhè shì shuí de bāo?
Whose bag is this?
Correct possessive form with 的.
谁的
谁的手机？
Shuí de shǒu jī?
Whose phone?
Elliptical question – 谁的 modifies 手机.
谁
✗这是谁书？
✗ Zhè shì shuí shū?
Whose book is this?
✗ Incorrect – missing 的. Should be 这是谁的书？

Errores comunes

Using 谁 instead of 谁的 to ask about possession: '这是谁书？' should be '这是谁的书？'
Omitting 的 when 谁的 stands alone: asking '谁的书？' is correct; '谁书？' is wrong.
Confusing 谁 as a possessive determiner: '谁家' is a special exception meaning 'whose home/family' (colloquial), but generally 谁 alone cannot show possession.

Preguntas frecuentes

When do I use 谁 vs 谁的?: Use 谁 to ask 'who' or 'whom' about a person. Use 谁的 to ask 'whose' about possession. The particle 的 is the key difference: if your question involves ownership, you must add 的 after 谁.
Can 谁的 be used without a noun after it?: Yes. For example, '这是谁的？' (Whose is this?) or simply '谁的？' (Whose?) are perfectly natural in context. The 的 is still required.
Is 谁 only used for people?: Yes, 谁 always refers to people (or personified animals/objects). For things, use 什么 or 哪. For possession of things by people, use 谁的.
Can I use 谁 + noun to mean 'whose' without 的?: No. Without 的, the phrase 谁书 would be ungrammatical for 'whose book'. The only exception is a few fixed phrases like 谁家 (shéi jiā, 'whose home'), but even there 的 is more standard: 谁的家.