怎么 zěn me
“how?; what?; why?”
pronounHSK 1 · 2021 list level 1Traditional 怎麼
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
怎么 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 276: 怎么 zěnme — Level 1; official annotation 1 (代). PDF page 86
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 怎么
怎么 means “how” and asks about the manner or way of doing something; it usually comes before the verb (怎么 + verb). It can also ask about someone's state or what is the matter, as in 你怎么了?, and in questions like 你怎么不早说? it asks “why” about a reason.
例句Example sentences
- 这个字怎么读？zhè ge zì zěn me dú?How do you read this character?
- 请问，去火车站怎么走？qǐng wèn, qù huǒ chē zhàn zěn me zǒu?Excuse me, how do I get to the train station?
- 你怎么了？不舒服吗？nǐ zěn me le? bù shū fu ma?What's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗你怎么去学校每天？
✓你每天怎么去学校？
The frequency expression 每天 normally comes before the predicate (here before 怎么去学校), not after the object 学校.
易混词Easily confused
怎么vs怎么样
怎么 asks how something is done (怎么走 = how to go); 怎么样 asks how something is or how about something (天气怎么样 = how is the weather).
深度指南Grammar & comparison guides
义项All meanings
- zěn me: how?; what?; why?
- zěn me: variant of 怎么