为何

wèihé

why

HSK 6

Character Breakdown

Usage of 为何

'为何' is a formal or literary way to ask 'why' or 'for what reason'. It is often used in written Chinese or formal speech rather than casual conversation, where '为什么' is more common.

Common contexts

It appears frequently in questions about reasons or causes, especially in news reports, essays, or serious discussions.

Collocations and patterns

Nuance

Using '为何' can sound more serious or rhetorical compared to '为什么'. Avoid using it in casual daily chats to sound natural.

Common confusion

Don't confuse '为何' with '为什么'. Both mean 'why', but '为何' is more formal and less common in spoken language.

Example Sentences

你为何迟到了?

Nǐ wèihé chídào le?

Why were you late?

他为何不接电话?

Tā wèihé bù jiē diànhuà?

Why doesn't he answer the phone?

我们需要知道为何项目失败了。

Wǒmen xūyào zhīdào wèihé xiàngmù shībài le.

We need to know why the project failed.