How to Write 啥 (shá) — Meaning “What (colloquial)”

Imagine someone at home (舍) opening their mouth (口) and asking "What?" — this connects the parts to the meaning. Alternatively, think of the sound "sha" as a casual "shah" like a surprised question, and the house symbol reminds you it's informal everyday talk.

Write the left 口 first, small and high, then the right 舍 starting with 人 (two strokes: left-falling and right-falling), then a horizontal stroke 一, and finally a 口 at the bottom. A common mistake is making the left 口 too large or forgetting the middle horizontal stroke in 舍, which breaks the balance.

啥 means "what" in casual speech, while 呲 (cī) means to show teeth or make a hissing sound, and 咠 (qì) means to whisper or speak secretly. Visually, 啥 has 舍 (house) on the right, 呲 has 此 (this), and 咠 has a different component that looks like multiple mouths — so the meanings and shapes are distinct.

啥 is a very common colloquial word for "what" in everyday conversation, especially in northern China, and is used in phrases like 干啥 (gàn shá, what are you doing?) and 没啥 (méi shá, it's nothing). It is not used in formal writing or exams; instead, use 什么 (shénme) in polite or official contexts.

Common words containing 啥 include: 啥事 (shá shì) — What's the matter?; What's up?; 没啥 (méi shá) — Nothing / It's nothing; 干啥 (gàn shá) — what are you doing? / what for?.