怎么
zěnme
how; why; how come
Every meaning
zěnme
- how
- what's wrong; what happened (as in 怎么了)
- (used with a negative) not very (as in 不怎么)
- why; how come
In a sentence
你怎么了？看起来不太高兴。
What's wrong? You don't look very happy.
Written by Claude and checked by our reader.
In the Library
你今天怎么了？
现在几点？ · What time is it? · HSK 2
过了一会儿，她问：“儿子，你怎么了？
妈妈的电话 · Mum’s Sunday call: a phone conversation in Chinese · HSK 3
怎么了？
谁爱吃茄子 · Who Likes Eggplant · HSK 4
Its characters
- 怎zěnhow; why (as in 怎么)
- 么mesuffix (as in 什么, 怎么, 这么, 多么)
Words with 怎
Words with 么
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).