zěn
me
(Mandarin)
(Cantonese)

怎麼 (Traditional: 怎麼)

HSK 1

Dictionary

how?/what?/why?

Examples

你怎么了?看起来不太高兴。

Nǐ zěnme le? Kàn qǐlái bú tài gāoxìng.

What's wrong with you? You don't look very happy.

Did You Know?

Word Order

Word Formation

怎 means 'how' and 么 is a question suffix.

Usage Tips

怎么 goes before the verb to ask 'how': 你怎么去?(How do you go?), but for 'why', use 为什么 (wèi shénme) — 怎么 can also mean 'why' in casual speech, but it's less precise.