wèn

to ask; to inquire

gate (门) + mouth (口) = asking a question

口 places a mouth inside a gate, suggesting someone calling through an entrance with a question. 门 mainly contributes the sound wèn; the mouth does the semantic work.

+
MouthSemantic
GatePhonetic

我今天几点了。

tā wèn wǒ jīn tiān jǐ diǎn le。

He asked me what time it is today.

她向老师了一个问题。

tā xiàng lǎo shī wèn le yī gè wèn tí。

She asked the teacher a question.

Words with 问

临问

lín wèn

to go personally to consult subordinates (of a high official)

通问

tōng wèn

to mutually send greetings

逼问

bī wèn

to question intensely

过问

guò wèn

to show an interest in

顾问

gù wèn

adviser

一问三不知

yī wèn sān bù zhī

lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)

三农问题

sān nóng wèn tí

the three core challenges of rural development in mainland China (agriculture 農業|农业[nong2 ye4], rural areas 農村|农村[nong2 cun1] and farmers 農民|农民[nong2 min2]), first identified as a policy focus in the 1990s

三体问题

sān tǐ wèn tí

three-body problem (mechanics)

不问

bù wèn

to pay no attention to

不问好歹

bù wèn hǎo dǎi

no matter what may happen (idiom)

不问青红皂白

bù wèn qīng hóng zào bái

not distinguishing red-green or black-white (idiom)

不耻下问

bù chǐ xià wèn

not feel ashamed to ask and learn from one's subordinates

More characters with 门