Asking about location: “Noun + 呢”

In Chinese, the structure Noun + 呢 (ne) is used as a short, natural way to ask about the location of a person or object (equivalent to “Where is...?” or “Where are...?” in English).

Examples: 妈妈呢？ (Māma ne?) — Where is Mom?; 小狗呢？ (Xiǎogǒu ne?) — Where is the puppy?

Grammar Structure

Noun (Person / Object) + 呢?

Example 1

你(Nǐ)的(de)书(shū)呢(ne)？放(Fàng)在(zài)哪儿(nǎr)了(le)？

A: Where is your book? Where did you put it?

就(Jiù)在(zài)桌(zhuō)子(zi)上(shang)啊(a)。

B: It's right on the table!

Example 2

我(Wǒ)的(de)眼(yǎn)镜(jìng)呢(ne)？看(Kàn)见(jiàn)了(le)吗(ma)？

A: Where are my glasses? Have you seen them?

我(Wǒ)没(méi)看(kàn)见(jiàn)啊(a)。

B: I didn't see them.