How to say “how” in Chinese

怎么
zěnme

how

pronoun · HSK 1 · topic “Around the city”

“How” in Chinese is 怎么, zěn me: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

怎么 is read zěn me: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

zěn — 3rd tonelow, dipping and rising a little
me — neutral toneshort and unstressed

How to write it

怎
zěn — how

Below, 心 “heart”.

么
me — part of “what”

A suffix with no meaning of its own, read with the neutral tone.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “怎么”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 怎么. Tap the sound icon to listen.

  • 请问,电影院怎么去?qǐngwèn,diànyǐngyuànzěnmeqùExcuse me, how do I get to the movie theater?
  • 你怎么去公司?nǐzěnmeqùgōngsīHow do you get to work?
  • 今天天气怎么样?jīntiāntiānqìzěnmeyàngWhat's the weather like today?
  • 你觉得这家饭店怎么样?nǐjuédezhèjiāfàndiànzěnmeyàngWhat do you think of this restaurant?
  • 你怎么去?nǐzěnmeqùHow are you getting there?
  • 你怎么了?nǐzěnmeleWhat’s wrong?

More words from the lesson “How do I get there?”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “how” in Chinese?

“How” in Chinese is 怎么, pinyin zěnme.

What does 怎么 mean?

怎么 (zěnme) means “how”.

How do you write 怎么?

怎么 is 2 characters: 怎 (zěn) — how; 么 (me) — part of “what”. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 怎么?

怎么 is read zěnme. Tones: zěn — third tone, me — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“how” in the lesson “How do I get there?”

This word is from the topic “Around the city” of HSK 1. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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