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HSK 2.0 Level 3+ HSK 3.0 Level 3+ 6 min read

怎样 for “How” and “What Kind Of”

Use 怎样 to ask how something is done, what someone thinks of something, and what kind of person or thing it is.

Pattern

怎样 + verb？ / 怎样的 + noun / …怎样？

怎样 asks about the way, the state or the kind of thing; unlike 怎么, it never asks “why.”

请问，去图书馆怎样走？

When to use 怎样 for “How” and “What Kind Of”

怎样 (zěn yàng) is a question word meaning “how.” Its main job is 怎样 + verb, which asks about the way or method of doing something: 这个字怎样写？ “How do you write this character?” Like other question words, it sits where the answer would go, and the question needs no 吗. It is a little more careful and written than 怎么, so you meet it a lot in textbooks, instructions and signs.

这个汉字怎样写？

How do you write this character?

你觉得这个办法怎样？

What do you think of this idea?

他是一个怎样的人？

What kind of person is he?

我不知道怎样回答这个问题。

I don’t know how to answer this question.

Common traps

  • Do not use 怎样 to ask “why”: 你怎么迟到了？ is right, 你怎样迟到了？ is wrong.
  • Do not add 吗 to a question with 怎样; the question word already makes it a question.
  • Before a noun, add 的: 怎样的人, not 怎样人.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

我不知道 回答这个问题

I don’t know how to answer this question
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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