You use which in questions when there are two or more possible answers or alternatives.
Which do they want me to do, declare war or surrender?
Which are the ones you really like?
'You go down that passageway over there.'—'Which one?'
Which vitamin supplements are good value?
2. determiner
You use which to refer to a choice between two or more possible answers or alternatives.
I wanted to know which school it was you went to.
I can't remember which teachers I had.
Scientists have long wondered which parts of the brain are involved in musical tasks.
Which is also a conjunction.
In her panic she couldn't remember which was Mr Grainger's cabin.
There are so many diets on the market, how do you know which to choose?
3. pronoun
You use which at the beginning of a relative clause when specifying the thing that you are talking about or when giving more information about it.
Soldiers opened fire on a car which failed to stop at an army checkpoint.
He's based in Banja Luka, which is the largest city in northern Bosnia.
Colic describes a whole variety of conditions in which a horse suffers abdominalpain.
He was rushed to the hospital and put in a little room which had dust all over thebed.
4. pronoun
You use which to refer back to an idea or situation expressed in a previous sentence or sentences, especially when you want to give your opinion about it.
Since we started in September we have raised fifty thousand pounds, which is prettygood going.
Visited Park West. Viewed a flat, no. 76. Which I like.
Which is also a determiner.
Some people are allergic to the gelatine in the capsule, in which case you can getdrops.
5.
See which sth is which
6. any which way
7. every which way
English Easy Learning GrammarInterrogative pronounsThe interrogative pronouns who, whom, and whose are used only for reference to people.The interrogative pronouns which and what are used for reference ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarRelative pronounsThe relative pronouns are the words who, whom, which, and that. person thing subjectobject who or thatwhom or that which or thatwhich or that possessive ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarThe interrogativeThe interrogative is normal for many questions. It contains a verb phrase that isfollowed by a subject. There are two main types of question: those that ... Read more
which in British English
(wɪtʃ)
determiner
1.
a.
used with a noun in requesting that its referent be further specified, identified, or distinguished from the other members of a class
which house did you want to buy?
b.
(as pronoun)
which did you find?
c.
(used in indirect questions)
I wondered which apples were cheaper
2.
a.
whatever of a class; whichever
bring which car you want
b.
(as pronoun)
choose which of the cars suit you
3.
used in relative clauses with inanimate antecedents
the house, which is old, is in poor repair
4.
as; and that: used in relative clauses with verb phrases or sentences as their antecedents
he died of cancer, which is what I predicted
5. the which
▶ USAGE See note at that
Word origin
Old English hwelc, hwilc; related to Old High German hwelīh (German welch), Old Norse hvelīkr, Gothic hvileiks, Latin quis, quid
which in American English
(hwɪtʃ; wɪtʃ)
pronoun
1.
what one (or ones) of the number of persons, things, or events mentioned or implied?
which of the men answered? which do you want?
2.
the one (or ones) that
he knows which he wants
3.
that: used as a relative referring to the thing, group, or event specified in theantecedent word, phrase, or clause: which can be used in a restrictive clause [the war which had just ended, the class to which he spoke], in a restrictive clause preceded by the pronoun that [he sacrificed that which he valued most], in a nonrestrictive clause [my car, which is not running; my family, in which she found a warm welcome], or, archaically, of a person [Our Father, which art in heaven]
4.
either, or any, of the persons, things, or events previously mentioned or implied;whichever
take which you prefer
5.
a thing or fact that
you are late—which reminds me, where were you yesterday?
adjective
6.
what one or ones (of the number mentioned or implied)
which man (or men) answered? which books did he choose?
7.
whatever; no matter what
try which method he pleased, he could not succeed
8.
being the one just mentioned
he is very old, which fact is important
Word origin
ME whiche < OE hwylc, hwelc, for *hwa-lic, lit., who like (akin to Goth hwileiks, OHG hwelīh, Ger welch): see who & -ly1
Examples of 'which' in a sentence
which
Which in many cases was exactly what happened.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He makes a player feel good about himself which is very important.
The Sun (2016)
There were messages on his phone from two footballing figures which stood out.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
But which one offers the best value?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He then sends them to a lab for tests which tell him which fertiliser to use to produce a good harvest.
The Sun (2016)
But there is other news, which you may be missing.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Which way the car steers depends on how it is programmed to trade off people's lives.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is left to cure for a set number of days, after which they pull the shutters off and seal it.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Which is the case with energy supply.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Most pastors enter situations in which people remember the past and problems exist.
Christianity Today (2000)
Offers are subject to availability which may be strictly limited.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We arrive at the point beyond which no cars may go.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In basketball the aim is to score and you have various methods which you use.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
To survive panic we need good relationships which reassure us.
Knowles, Jane Know Your Own Mind (1991)
What fun not to know which direction any sentence will take.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
You have withheld the advantages which you must know to have been designed for him.
Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Either way people remember the team which won.
The Sun (2015)
It is not permitted to say things about others which are not true and which might cause harm.
Edward Beauclerk Maurice THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004)
You are leaving a big club which is used to winning trophies and coming to one without the history or size.
The Sun (2016)
This new architecture means a new approach to garden design and one in which planting will play a secondary and supporting role.
Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)
The next major advance was the introduction of checks, which lowered transactions costs still further.
Mishkin, Frederic S. Financial Markets, Institutions and Money (1995)
This only takes a couple of minutes, after which you can take your time alone.
O'Keeffe, John Your One Week Way to Mind-Fitness (1994)
Place your bets on which of the two Derby resemble more.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Sure, you can construct textbook cases in which protectionism benefits an economy.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Not that they referred to it as anything else, which may partially be the point.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
After which they scowl, or punch the air.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The three writers produced a skeleton script with the outline of a narrative, which allowed room to improvise on set.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Which is not saying much.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Regulatory changes over the past two years have forced investment providers and advisers to be more transparent about costs, which has boosted competition.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He also launched an initiative in which used cooking oil was converted into biodiesel fuel to power the company's vans in Britain.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
which
British English: which /wɪtʃ/ DETERMINER
You use which when you want help to choose between things.
Which shoes should I put on?
American English: which
Arabic: أيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: qual
Chinese: 哪个
Croatian: koji
Czech: který
Danish: hvilken
Dutch: welke
European Spanish: cuál
Finnish: mikä
French: quel
German: welcher
Greek: ποιος
Italian: quale
Japanese: どの
Korean: 어느
Norwegian: hvilken
Polish: jaki
European Portuguese: qual
Romanian: care
Russian: который
Latin American Spanish: cuál
Swedish: vilken/vilket/vilka
Thai: อันไหน
Turkish: hangi
Ukrainian: котрий
Vietnamese: cái nào
British English: which /wɪtʃ/ PRONOUN
You use which to ask questions when there are two or more possible answers.
Which is your room?
American English: which
Arabic: أيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: qual
Chinese: 哪个
Croatian: koji
Czech: který
Danish: som
Dutch: welke
European Spanish: cuál
Finnish: mikä
French: lequel
German: welcher
Greek: ποιος
Italian: che
Japanese: どれ
Korean: 어느 것
Norwegian: som
Polish: który
European Portuguese: qual
Romanian: care
Russian: который
Latin American Spanish: cuál
Swedish: som
Thai: อันไหน
Turkish: hangi
Ukrainian: котрий
Vietnamese: cái mà
All related terms of 'which'
the which
a longer form of which, often used as a sentence connector
which sth is which
If you cannot tell the difference between two things, you can say that you do not know which is which .
every which way
Every which way and any which way are used to emphasize that something happens , or might happen, in a lot of different ways, or using a lot of different methods .
in that/which case
You say in that case or in which case to indicate that what you are going to say is true if the possible situation that has just been mentioned actually exists .
the like(s) of which
If you refer to something the like of which or the likes of which has never been seen before, you are emphasizing how important, great, or noticeable the thing is.
see which way the cat jumps
to delay making a decision or taking action on something until more is known about how the situation will develop
a peg on which to hang something
a way of introducing or drawing attention to your ideas or opinions
know which side one's bread is buttered
to know what to do in order to keep one's advantages
see which way the wind is blowing
to understand or realize how a situation is developing and use this in deciding what to do
which way/how the wind is blowing
If you realize or find out which way the wind is blowing or how the wind is blowing , you realize or find out what is likely to happen , for example whether something is likely to succeed .
know which side one's bread is buttered on
to know what is to one's advantage and from what source it comes
know which side your bread is buttered on
to understand fully how you are likely to benefit from a situation, and know what to do or who to please in order to put yourself in the best possible situation
Chinese translation of 'which'
which
(wɪtʃ)
adj
(interrogative singular) 哪个(個) (nǎge)
(plural) 哪些 (nǎxiē)
which picture do you want?你要哪幅画(畫)？ (nǐ yào nǎ fú huà?)
which books are yours?哪些书(書)是你的？ (Nǎxiē shū shì nǐ de?)
which one/ones?哪个(個)/些？ (nǎge/xiē?)
which one of you did it?你们(們)中的哪个(個)人做的？ (nǐmen zhōng de nǎge rén zuò de?)
(in indirect questions/speech singular) 哪个(個) (nǎge)
(plural) 哪些 (nǎxiē)
he asked which book I wanted他问(問)我要哪本书(書) (tā wèn wǒ yào nǎ běn shū)
(relative)
in which case在这(這)种(種)情况(況)下 (zài zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng xià)
by which time到那时(時)为(為)止 (dào nàshí wéizhǐ)
pron
(interrogative subject, object) 哪个(個) (nǎge)
which of these is yours?这(這)些中的哪个(個)是你的？ (zhèxiē zhōng de nǎge shì nǐ de?)
which of you are coming?你们(們)中的哪些人会(會)来(來)？ (nǐmen zhōng de nǎxiē rén huì lái?)
which do you want? (singular) 你要哪个(個)？ (nǐ yào nǎge?) (plural) 你要哪些？ (nǐ yào nǎxiē?)
(in indirect questions/speech subject, object) 哪个(個) (nǎge)
ask him which of the models is the best问(問)他哪种(種)型号(號)是最好的 (wèn tā nǎ zhǒng xínghào shì zuì hǎo de)
tell me which you want (singular) 告诉(訴)我你要哪个(個) (gàosù wǒ nǐ yào nǎge) (plural) 告诉(訴)我你要哪些 (gàosù wǒ nǐ yào nǎxiē)