How to Say ‘What's the difference?’ in Simplified Chinese
有什么不一样？
yǒu shén me bù yī yàng
[yoe shen-muh bù ee-yahng]
💬 Usage Tip: 不 is read (bú) here because 一 (yí) after it has a falling tone. Put two things before it to compare them: 拿铁和卡布奇诺有什么不一样？ "What's the difference between a latte and a cappuccino?"
Phrase Breakdown
有什么
yǒu shén me
what is there
有 (yǒu) means 'have' or 'there is' and 什么 (shénme) means 'what'. Say it as yǒu shénme.
你有什么问题？
What questions do you have?
Words in this phrase
有
yǒu
[yoe]
have; there is/are
Used to show existence or availability of something.
门口有停车位，很方便。
There are parking spaces at the entrance, which is very convenient.
什么
shén me
[shen-muh]
what; something
Used in questions to ask about things or actions.
你想做什么？
What do you want to do?
不一样？
bù yī yàng
different?
不一样 (bù yíyàng) means 'not the same' or 'different'. The tones change in this phrase, so say it as bù yí yàng.
这两个不一样。
These two are different.
Words in this phrase
不
bù
[bù]
not
Used to form the negative of verbs.
他不想参与。
He does not want to participate.
一样
yī yàng
[ee-yahng]
the same; alike
Used to show that two things are similar or the same.
我们的目标都一样，就是找到好工作。
Our goals are all the same: to find a good job.
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