Meaning of 怎么
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- how?
- what?
- why?
- variant of 怎麼|怎么[zen3 me5]
How to use 怎么
怎么 goes before a verb to ask how something is done, and it can also ask why when the speaker is surprised or unhappy. Example: 这个字怎么读？(Zhège zì zěnme dú?) How do you read this character? You will also hear 你怎么了？(Nǐ zěnme le?) What's wrong with you?
怎 (zěn) has 心 (xīn, heart) at the bottom, so picture your heart asking a question, and 么 (me) is the same little ending you see in 什么 (shénme). Together, 怎么 is the heart wondering "how?"
Common mistake: Learners often use 怎么 for every "why" question, but 怎么 sounds surprised or puzzled, while 为什么 (wèi shénme) is a neutral request for a reason. Also remember the 么 is neutral tone, so say zěnme, not zěnmè.
怎么 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
怎 zěn · what? why? how? · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
么 me · interrogative particle · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 怎么.
| 什么 | shénme | what?; something; anything |
| 干什么 | gàn shénme | what are you doing?; what's he up to? |
| 没什么 | méi shénme | it doesn't matter; it's nothing; never mind; think nothing of it; it's my pleasure; you're |
| 为什么 | wèi shénme | why?; for what reason? |
| 这么 | zhème | so much; this much |
| 那么 | nàme | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ... |
| 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | how?; how about? |
| 怎样 | zěnyàng | how; what kind |
| 怎么办 | zěnme bàn | what's to be done |
| 多么 | duōme | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc) |
| 什么样 | shénmeyàng | what kind?; what sort? |
| 要么 | yàome | or; either one or the other |
Questions about 怎么
What does 怎么 mean?
怎么 (zěnme) means "how?; what?" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 怎么?
怎么 is made of 2 characters: 怎 (9 strokes), 么 (3 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 怎么 an HSK word?
Yes. 怎么 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 怎么 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 怎么 is written 怎麼.
What is the difference between 怎么 and 怎么样?
怎么 usually comes before a verb and asks how to do something, as in 怎么走 (zěnme zǒu), how do I get there. 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) asks what something is like or for an opinion, as in 你觉得怎么样？(Nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng?) What do you think?
What does 不怎么 mean?
不怎么 (bù zěnme) means "not very" or "not really" and softens a negative. For example, 我不怎么喜欢 (wǒ bù zěnme xǐhuan) means I don't really like it.