為何

See also: 为何

Chinese

	because of; for; to because of; for; to; act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become	carry; what; how carry; what; how; why; which
trad. (為何/爲何)	為/爲	何
simp. (为何)	为	何
anagram	何為／何为

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wèihé

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄜˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): wai⁶ ho⁴ / wai⁴ ho⁴
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): ūi-hô͘ / ūi-hô

(Teochew, Peng'im): ui⁵ ho⁵

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wèihé
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄜˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wèihé
  - Wade–Giles: wei⁴-ho²
  - Yale: wèi-hé
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: weyher
  - Palladius: вэйхэ (vɛjxɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯⁵¹ xɤ³⁵/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    渭河
    為何／为何
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: wai⁶ ho⁴ / wai⁴ ho⁴
  - Yale: waih hòh / wàih hòh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁶ ho⁴ / wai⁴ ho⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: wei⁶ ho⁴ / wei⁴ ho⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯²² hɔː²¹/, /wɐi̯²¹ hɔː²¹/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    渭河
    為何／为何
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ūi-hô͘
  - Tâi-lô: uī-hôo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: uixhoo
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ui⁴¹⁻²² hɔ²⁴/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ūi-hô
  - Tâi-lô: uī-hô
  - Phofsit Daibuun: uixhooi
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ui²²⁻²¹ ho¹³/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ui²²⁻²¹ ho²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ui³³⁻²¹ hɤ²³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ui³³⁻¹¹ ho²⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: ui⁵ ho⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ûi hô
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ho⁵⁵/

Adverb

為何

(literary or formal) why; for what reason

Usage notes

The alternative pronunciation in Cantonese is mostly used in song lyrics due to the strict paraphonic rules of Cantonese songs.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 為什麼 (“why”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		何為, 何以, 何, 何故, 緣何, 胡, 奚, 曷, 胡為
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		為什麼, 為何, 因何, 何以
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	為什麼, 幹嗎, 幹什麼
	Taiwan	為什麼
	Harbin	為啥
	Malaysia	為什麼, 做什麼, 做麼
	Singapore	為什麼, 做什麼, 做麼
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	為嘛
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	為麼兒, 為麼, 幹麼兒, 為什麼
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	為麼, 為麼個
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	為啥, 因啥
	Xining	為啥
	Xuzhou	為啥, 擁啥, 擁什麼
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	為啥
	Lanzhou	為啥
	Ürümqi	為啥
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	為啥子, 做啥子
	Wuhan	做麼事, 為麼事
	Guiyang	為哪樣, 為些哪樣
	Guilin	為什麼
	Liuzhou	為什麼
	Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)	為什麼
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	為什麼
	Yangzhou	甚們事, 做事, 做啥, 為甚們 formal
	Hefei	怎搞, 怎搞的
Cantonese	Guangzhou	點解, 做乜, 做乜嘢, 為乜, 為乜為物, 做乜事幹, 因乜事幹, 因乜解究, 因乜緣故, 何解, 乜, 咩
	Hong Kong	點解, 做乜, 做乜嘢, 做咩, 為乜, 為咩, 做乜事幹, 因乜事幹, 因乜解究, 因咩解究, 因乜緣故, 何解, 乜, 咩
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	做乜嘢
	Macau	為乜嘢
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	點解
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	整乜嘢
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	做乜嘢
	Foshan	點解
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	點解
	Foshan (Shunde)	為乜嘢
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	因乜嘢, 點解
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	為乜嘢
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	為乜嘢
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	點解
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	點解
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	點解
	Taishan	幾何, 幾解, 做乜, 為乜, 乜頭路
	Kaiping (Chikan)	幾解
	Enping (Niujiang)	做乜
	Dongguan	點解, 做乜嘢, 做乜, 為乜嘢
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	點解
	Shenzhen (Dapeng)	點解
	Yangjiang	為乜, 為乜事, 做乜, 做乜事, 做乜嘢
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	為物底
	Qinzhou	為乜嘢, 為乜
	Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	為乜底
	Beihai	為乜嘢
	Beihai (Nankang)	做乜嘢
	Beihai (Yingpan)	為乜底
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	做乜嘢, 為乜
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	做乜嘢
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	做乜嘢, 為乜
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	點解
	Singapore (Guangfu)	點解
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	做乜嘢
	Móng Cái	點解, 為乜
	Yangon (Taishan)	幾解
Gan	Nanchang	為什哩
Gan	Pingxiang	為咋個, 為咋哩, 做咋個, 做咋哩, 何解
Hakka	Meixian	做麼個
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	做乜嘢, 做嘢
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	做麼個
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	做麼個
	Zhongshan (Wuguishan)	仰解, 做乜嘢
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	為乜嘢
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	為麼個
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	做麼個
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	做麼個
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	做麼個
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	做麼個
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	做麼個
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	做麼個
	Hong Kong	做麼個
	Kuching (Hepo)	做乜個
Jin	Taiyuan	為甚, 因為甚, 幹什
Jin	Xinzhou	𠰻們
Northern Min	Jian'ou	為孰事, 做孰事
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	蔣其, 蔣講, 做什乇, 做什名, 幹乜勢, 傒勢
	Fuzhou (Changle)	傒勢
	Fuqing	介計
	Yongtai	蔣其
	Gutian	做什乇
	Fu'an	做乜乇
	Ningde	做乇
	Shouning	做呢乇
	Zhouning	做乜乇
	Fuding	做哪乇
	Matsu	為什乇, 蔣其, 蔣講, 做什乇, 傒勢
Southern Min	Xiamen	為什物, 按怎, 物代, 敢咧, 創什物
	Quanzhou	按怎, 物代
	Jinjiang	為啥物
	Zhangzhou	按怎
	Zhao'an	為甚物
	Dongshan	為甚物
	Taipei	為啥物, 是按怎
	Penang (Hokkien)	何物事, 做物事, 做物
	Singapore (Hokkien)	按怎
	Manila (Hokkien)	敢哪, 敢哪誌
	Chaozhou	做呢
	Shantou	做呢
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	做呢
	Singapore (Teochew)	做呢
	Leizhou	作乜, 因乜
	Wenchang	作乜, 因乜, 怎作
	Haikou	作乜, 作個乜, 作乜物, 因乜, 因個乜
	Singapore (Hainanese)	作乜
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	為乜嘢
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	做門, 做哪門, 為哪門
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	為什個
Wu	Shanghai	啥體, 為啥, 做啥, 啥講究, 為啥體, 啥個講究, 啥道理, 為啥道理, 啥個路道, 啥個緣故
	Shanghai (Chongming)	為何, 做何
	Suzhou	為啥, 為點啥, 做啥, 啥體, 為啥體
	Danyang	為點高, 做點高
	Hangzhou	為啥
	Wenzhou	妝乜, 為何呢, 為乜事幹
	Jinhua	為淡事幹, 為待西
Xiang	Changsha	為麼子, 何解
	Xiangtan	奚解
	Loudi	嗎介
	Shuangfeng	為麼子, 做麼子

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wéi hé

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˊ ㄏㄜˊ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wéi hé
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˊ ㄏㄜˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wéi hé
  - Wade–Giles: wei² ho²
  - Yale: wéi hé
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wei her
  - Palladius: вэй хэ (vɛj xɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯³⁵ xɤ³⁵/

Phrasal verb

為⫽何 (verb-object)

(literary) is what; what is ...?