哪些
nǎxiē · HSK 1
which
哪 (which) + 些 (some/several) = which ones
哪 carries the question 'which', and 些 is a plural marker meaning 'some' or 'several'. Together 哪些 asks 'which ones' — used when the answer is more than one item, unlike 哪个 (which single one).
哪 — mouth 口 + that 那
A phono-semantic compound. The mouth radical 口 signals a spoken word or question particle, while 那 (nà, 'that') supplies the sound. Originally a variant of 那, it later specialized as the interrogative 'which?' in Mandarin.
些 — 此 (this) + 二 (two)
些 combines 此 'this' with 二 'two', originally suggesting 'this and that few' — a small, indefinite quantity. It has long functioned as a measure word for an unspecified small amount, equivalent to 'some' or 'a few' in English. The modern meaning preserves this ancient sense of vague plurality.