How to Say "Are You Still Awake?" in Chinese: 你还没睡吗 and Related Checks
Learn to ask if someone is still awake in Mandarin with 你还没睡吗, 还没睡吗, and 你睡了吗. Includes pinyin, tone tips, a natural chat dialogue, and practice for late-night texting.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
To ask "Are you still awake?" in Mandarin Chinese, the most direct and natural question is 你还没睡吗 (nǐ hái méi shuì ma). This literally means "You still haven't slept?" and works in text messages, phone calls, or quiet late-night chats. It checks whether the other person is still up, without assuming they should be asleep. In this lesson you will learn that core question plus closely related alternatives such as 还没睡吗 and 你睡了吗, understand the small but important difference between them, and practice using them in a realistic late-night exchange. All examples use simplified Chinese and pinyin with tone marks.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone if they are still awake using 你还没睡吗 and 还没睡吗.
- use 你睡了吗 to check whether someone has already gone to sleep, and respond naturally.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
你还没睡吗？
Are you still awake? / You haven't slept yet?
nǐ hái méi shuì ma
The standard, friendly way to check if someone is still up. Use it in messages or quiet conversation. 还 (hái) means "still," 没 (méi) negates the completed action, 睡 (shuì) means "sleep," and 吗 (ma) makes it a yes-no question.
还没睡吗？
Still awake? / Not asleep yet?
hái méi shuì ma
A shorter version with the same meaning. Dropping 你 is common when the person you are addressing is obvious, especially in text messages or when you are already in a conversation.
你睡了吗？
Are you asleep? / Have you gone to sleep?
nǐ shuì le ma
This asks whether the person has already fallen asleep. It is slightly different from 你还没睡吗: 你睡了吗 can sound like you are checking if they are available or if they have already gone to bed, while 你还没睡吗 more clearly assumes they might still be awake.
你醒着吗？
Are you awake?
nǐ xǐng zhe ma
This focuses on being awake rather than not having slept. 醒着 (xǐng zhe) means "awake." It can be used if you are not sure whether the person is asleep or just not replying.
我还没睡。
I'm still awake. / I haven't slept yet.
wǒ hái méi shuì
A natural reply to 你还没睡吗. It mirrors the question structure. To say you are about to sleep, you can say 我准备睡了 (wǒ zhǔnbèi shuì le).
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 还没 + verb + 吗, which asks whether an action still has not happened. With 睡 (shuì, "sleep"), 你还没睡吗 means "Have you still not slept?" or more naturally "Are you still awake?" You can reuse this pattern with other verbs: 你还没吃吗？(nǐ hái méi chī ma) "Have you still not eaten?" and 你还没走吗？(nǐ hái méi zǒu ma) "Have you still not left?" The adverb 还 (hái) adds the sense of "still." Without it, 你没睡吗 (nǐ méi shuì ma) is possible but sounds more like a plain factual question, and it can sound slightly abrupt in a late-night check-in. For a softer, more conversational tone, 你还没睡吗 is usually the better choice.
When to use it
Use 你还没睡吗 when you are texting or talking late at night and want to see if the other person is still awake. It is warm and neutral, suitable for friends, family, and people you are close to. If you want to be more indirect, you can say 还没睡吗 without 你. If you are asking whether someone has already gone to sleep, use 你睡了吗. For example, if you sent a message earlier and got no reply, 你睡了吗？(nǐ shuì le ma) asks "Have you gone to sleep?" If you see them online and want to check, 你还没睡吗？is more natural. In very formal situations, such as messaging a teacher or a colleague late at night, you might add a polite address: 老师，您还没睡吗？(lǎoshī, nín hái méi shuì ma) "Teacher, are you still awake?"
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你还没睡吗？
Are you still awake?nǐ hái méi shuì ma还没睡，我在看书。你呢？
Not yet, I'm reading. What about you?hái méi shuì, wǒ zài kàn shū. nǐ ne我也没睡，刚写完作业。
I haven't slept either, I just finished my homework.wǒ yě méi shuì, gāng xiě wán zuòyè那早点休息吧，明天还要上课。
Then get some rest early, we still have class tomorrow.nà zǎo diǎn xiūxi ba, míngtiān hái yào shàng kèA little context goes a long way
In Mandarin, late-night check-ins often use 还没睡吗 rather than a literal translation of "Are you awake?" The question can carry a mild sense of concern or closeness, so it is common among friends and family. If you are messaging someone you do not know well, adding a polite address or keeping the message short can feel more respectful. Also, 你睡了吗 can sometimes imply "Are you available to talk?" rather than simply asking about sleep, so context and tone matter.
One thing to watch for
Using 你睡吗？(nǐ shuì ma) to mean "Are you still awake?"
Try this instead: 你睡吗 sounds like a general question about whether someone sleeps, not whether they are awake now. To ask if someone is still awake, say 你还没睡吗？(nǐ hái méi shuì ma) or 你睡了吗？(nǐ shuì le ma) if you mean "Have you gone to sleep?"
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you ask a friend in a text message if they are still awake?
Show a sample answer
你还没睡吗？
This is the most direct and natural way to check if someone is still awake. 还没睡吗 without 你 is also acceptable when the person is obvious.
2What is the difference between 你还没睡吗 and 你睡了吗?
Show a sample answer
你还没睡吗 asks if someone is still awake; 你睡了吗 asks if they have already gone to sleep.
The first uses 还没 to show the action has not happened yet, while the second uses 了 to ask about a completed change of state. Both can be polite depending on context.
3How would you reply that you are still awake?
Show a sample answer
我还没睡。
This mirrors the question pattern and clearly states you have not slept yet. You could also say 还没睡呢 (hái méi shuì ne) for a slightly softer tone.
Use 你还没睡吗？as your main way to ask "Are you still awake?" in Mandarin. Shorten it to 还没睡吗？when the person is clear, and use 你睡了吗？when you are asking whether someone has already gone to sleep.
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