‘问号’ (wèn hào) literally means ‘question mark’ — the punctuation symbol ‘?’ used to indicate a direct question in writing. The first character, 问 (wèn), means ‘to ask’, and the second, 号 (hào), means ‘mark’, ‘symbol’, or ‘sign’. Together, they form a compound noun referring specifically to the typographical symbol that signals interrogative sentences. It appears at the end of questions in both formal and informal written Chinese, just as ‘?’ does in English.

This term is used exclusively for the punctuation mark itself — not for the concept of questioning or uncertainty (for which words like 疑问 or 不确定 are used). Learners should note that Chinese does not use intonation alone to signal questions; written questions always require the 问号, and spoken questions rely on question particles (e.g., 吗, 呢) or rising intonation. The 问号 is also commonly used metaphorically in informal contexts to express doubt or skepticism, such as in online comments or headlines.