Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 怎樣 / 怎样 | zěnyàng | ||
| 怎麼樣 / 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | ||
| 怎麼 / 怎么 | zěnme | ||
| 怎樣 / 怎样 | chóaⁿ-iūⁿ, cháiⁿ-iūⁿ | Hokkien | |
| 怎仔樣 / 怎仔样 | chóaⁿ-á-iūⁿ, cháiⁿ-á-iūⁿ | Hokkien | |
| 按怎 | án-chóaⁿ, án-cháiⁿ, án-nóa, án-ná | /an⁴⁴⁵⁻⁴⁴ t͡suã⁴⁴⁵/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Singapore, Penang, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /an⁴²⁻²⁴ t͡suã⁴²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Singapore, Penang, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 按怎樣 / 按怎样 | án-chóaⁿ-iūⁿ, àn-chóaⁿ-iūⁿ | Hokkien | |
| 如何 | jû-hô, lû-hô, jî-hô | /lu²⁴⁻¹¹ ho²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Sinological IPA) /lu²⁴⁻²² ho²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
| 咋 | zǎ | /t͡sä²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡sa²¹/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
dialectal |
The word "how" is used to ask in what manner.
Which one should you use?
In Hokkien, 按怎 is a common way to ask "how" or "how come", often used to express surprise or to ask for a method. The form 怎仔樣 / 怎仔样 is a colloquial variation of 怎樣 / 怎样 in Hokkien. In Mandarin, 怎麼 / 怎么 is typically used as an adverb before a verb to ask about the method or manner of an action.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In Mandarin, 如何 is a more formal and literary way to say "how" compared to the colloquial 怎麼樣 / 怎么样. For polite inquiries about someone's well-being, 您好吗 is a formal way to ask "Are you well?" Conversely, 最近怎么样 and 最近好吗 are informal ways to ask someone how they have been or if they are doing well lately.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, за and заму are used. In northern China, particularly in Beijing, the informal phrase 咋样 (an abbreviation of 怎么样) can be used to ask "How are you?"
How do you pronounce it?
chóaⁿ-iūⁿ, cháiⁿ-iūⁿ
Did you know?
- The Dungan language uses за (za) to express 'how', representing a unique blend where Chinese vocabulary is written using the Cyrillic alphabet.
- Using 怎麼 (zěnme) before a verb can imply a sense of confusion or criticism, such as asking 'How could you do this?' rather than just asking for the method.
- The word 怎麼樣 (zěnmeyàng) is often used as a 'softener' at the end of a suggestion to turn a command into a polite question, effectively meaning 'Does that work for you?'
Examples in context
- 你感觉如何？How do you feel?This sentence is useful for inquiring about someone's feelings using 如何.Tatoeba #5026446 by murr, translation #25724 by CK
- 这计划如何？How is this plan?This sentence is useful for asking about the status of a plan using 如何.Tatoeba #10012786 by GlossaMatik, translation #10372367 by DaoSeng
- 暑假過得如何？How was your summer vacation?This sentence is useful for asking about the quality of an experience using 如何.Tatoeba #1442715 by egg0073, translation #24309 by CK
- 102 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how” translations and entries 按怎, 如何, 咋, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
