(zěn) - how, why (bound form) in Mandarin

zěn

Traditional: 怎

#1217 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

how, why (bound form)

Word origin

A phono-semantic compound with the heart radical 心 below, hinting at the mind questioning, and 乍 (zhà) supplying the sound. It rarely stands alone, appearing chiefly in 怎么 and 怎样.

Origin: phono-semantic compound
Root: 乍 (zhà, phonetic) + 心 (xīn, heart)

Stroke order

怎

Examples

？

How do you see this matter?

？

Why have you still not come?

。

I do not know what to do.

？

How could he possibly know?

？

How have you been lately?

怎 (zěn) means how or why and is a bound form. It almost always appears in compounds such as 怎么 and 怎样.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Appears in 6 words

Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 怎.

怎么zěnmehow 怎么zěn mehow; why (in rhetorical questions)怎么样zěn me yànghow, what do you think, how about 怎样zěn yànghow, in what way, what kind 怎么办zěn me bànwhat to do, what should be done 怎么回事zěn me huí shìwhat's going on, what's the matter

Used in

Grammar articles

(8)

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Mandarin · Free printables

怎: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "怎" (how, why (bound form)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 25.