Differences between “吗, 吧, 呢” in Chinese

“吗”(ma) and “呢”(ne) are modal particles. Generally speaking, they are used at the end of interrogative sentences. "吧" (ba) is used to soften a request.

“吗” (ma)

It is used to answer yes/no questions. When added to the end of a sentence, it turns a statement into a question.

Statement: 他是中国人 Tā shì zhōngguó rén

Question：他是中国人吗？ Tā shì zhōngguó rén ma?

“吧” (ba)

吧 is a modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise (asks for confirmation). It is placed at the end of a sentence. For example:

Surmise: “你是学生吧？” Nǐ shì xuéshēng ba?

Suggestion: 我们_喝茶吧? Wǒmen hē chá bā?

If you want to agree with someone's suggestion, you can say “好吧”

“呢” (ne)

This is a particle indicating that a previously asked question is to be applied to the preceding word ("What about …?", "And …?"). It is also used to:

Inquire about location ("Where is …?");

Signal a pause, to emphasize the preceding words

Example: Where is the restroom?

洗手间在哪儿呢？Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎ'er ne?