怎么
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Definitions
- 1. how?
- 2. what?
- 3. why?
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Word relationships
Related words
2 itemsSynonyms
2 itemsUsage notes
Common mistakes
Learners often confuse 怎么 (how) with 什么 (what). Remember 怎么 is about manner or reason, not things.
Formality
怎么 is informal and commonly used in spoken Mandarin, while 如何 is more formal.
Grammar
Guides that feature 怎么
Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.
为什么 asks for a reason; it sits after the subject, before the verb, and the answer usually starts with 因为.
Use 你说你一个X，…… to gently tease or scold someone whose behavior doesn’t match who they are, like a university student who can’t write a simple character.
Use 怎样 to ask how something is done, what someone thinks of something, and what kind of person or thing it is.
Use 说什么也得 and 怎么（着）也得 to say something has to happen whatever stands in the way.
Say that something just won’t happen however hard you try, as in 我怎么也睡不着 and 我怎么找都没找到.
Ask who, what, where, how, and how much without adding extra question machinery.
Use 谁, 什么, 哪儿 and 怎么 to mean “anyone”, “anything”, “whatever” or “something” in statements, not questions.
Use question words to make strong statements, like 谁不想去？ “Who wouldn’t want to go?” and 我哪儿知道？ “How would I know?”
Highlight the detail of a known past event.
Use 说不定 for “maybe”, 不怎么 + verb or adjective for “not very”, and 不怎么样 for “not that great”.
Use question words in statements: 谁都知道 for “everyone knows”, 想吃什么就吃什么 for “whatever you like”, and 吃点儿什么 for “something”.
Example Sentences
5 shown你 怎么 去学校？
你 怎么 这么傻？
你 怎么 看待这个问题？
我们通常 怎么 称呼他？
岂有此理，他 怎么 可以这样做！
AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.
Words Containing 怎么
not very
not up to much
how?
what's to be done
no matter how ...
What's up?
what's the matter?
how can this be?
How did it happen?
what?
Why is that?
what do you want from me?!
how do you say it in Chinese?
how do you write this character?
what's wrong?
how did the exam go?
how do I get there?
how do you say it in Chinese?