誰

Interrogative: "Who?", "Whom?", "Whose?"

Indefinite/Universal: "Anyone," "everyone," "whoever." In negative constructions, it typically renders as "no one."

Subject/Object: Functions as the agent or patient of a verb.

Genitive: When placed immediately before a noun, indicates possession ("whose" in questions; "anyone's" or "everyone's" in statements).

Contrast with 何: 誰 is generally restricted to animate/human referents, whereas 何 typically refers to inanimate objects or abstract concepts ("what"). In very early strata of text, this boundary may blur; if 誰 appears to refer to a non-person, consider if the entity is being personified or if the usage represents an archaic, broader category of "entity."

Simplified variant: U+8C01.

The distinction between the interrogative and the universal quantifier is determined by context rather than any change in the glyph itself. When the sentence structure does not support a question, prioritize the indefinite reading ("anyone/whoever").