你是哪年出生的？
nǐ shì nǎ nián chūshēng de?
What year were you born
你是哪年出生的？ (nǐ shì nǎ nián chūshēng de) means "What year were you born?" It is a common and direct way to ask someone's birth year in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 你是哪年出生的？ (nǐ shì nǎ nián chūshēng de?) mean?
你是哪年出生的？ (nǐ shì nǎ nián chūshēng de?) means “what year were you born” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “You are which year born?”
When to use it
Neutral and polite. It's a straightforward question. If you want to be more formal or polite, especially with elders, you could use 您 (nín) instead of 你 (nǐ). A common reply would be "我是 [year] 年出生的。"
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "nee shrr nah NYEN choo-SHUNG duh." The "de" is often said lightly.
Other ways to say it
- 你是哪一年出生的？nǐ shì nǎ yī nián chūshēng de?What year were you born? (slightly more explicit)
- 你多大？nǐ duō dà?How old are you? (more general)
- 你的生日是哪天？nǐ de shēngrì shì nǎ tiān?When is your birthday? (asks for specific date)
Examples
你好，你是哪年出生的？
nǐ hǎo, nǐ shì nǎ nián chūshēng de?
Hello, what year were you born?
请问，你是哪年出生的？
qǐngwèn, nǐ shì nǎ nián chūshēng de?
Excuse me, what year were you born?
他问我是哪年出生的。
tā wèn wǒ shì nǎ nián chūshēng de.
He asked me what year I was born.
Pro tip: While asking someone's birth year is common, asking "你多大？" (How old are you?) can sometimes be considered a bit direct, especially to strangers or older people. "你是哪年出生的？" is a polite alternative.
Related phrases
二〇一〇年 · The year 2010五月三号 · May 3rd (reading dates)你的生日是几月几号？ · When is your birthday
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