# 怎麼
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): zěnme, zěm
    (Zhuyin): ㄗㄣˇ ˙ㄇㄜ, ㄗㄜㄇˇ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): zam$^2$ mo$^1$
* Hakka (Meixian, Guangdong): zên$^1$ mo$^2$
* Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): za$^2$ moh$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: zěnme
*** Zhuyin: ㄗㄣˇ ˙ㄇㄜ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: zěnme̊
*** Wade–Giles: tsên$^3$-mê$^5$
*** Yale: dzěn-me
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzeen.me
*** Palladius: цзэньмэ (czɛnʹmɛ)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sən²¹⁴ mə⁴/
** (Standard Chinese, contraction)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: zěm
*** Zhuyin: ㄗㄜㄇˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: zěm
*** Wade–Giles: tsêm$^3$
*** Yale: dzěm
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: zem3
*** Palladius: цзэм (czɛm)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡səm²¹⁴/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: zam$^2$ mo$^1$
*** Yale: jám mō
*** Cantonese Pinyin: dzam$^2$ mo$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: zem$^2$ mo$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sɐm³⁵ mɔː⁵⁵/
* Hakka
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: zên$^1$ mo$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡sɛn⁴⁴⁻³⁵ mo¹¹/
* Southern Min
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: za$^2$ moh$^4$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsá moh
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sa⁵²⁻³⁵ moʔ²/

### Adverb

怎麼 (chiefly Mandarin)
* how
    北京怎麼去？／北京怎么去？ ― Běijīng zěnme qù? ― How do you get to Beijing?
       “Dòngrén” yòng yīngwén zěnme shuō? [Pinyin]
       How do you say dòngrén in English?
       Zhè shì zěnme huí shì ya? [Pinyin]
       How did this happen?
    怎麼會這樣呢？／怎么会这样呢？ ― Zěnme huì zhèyàng ne? ― How could that be?
* how come; why
       Tā jīntiān zěnme méi lái shàngxué? [Pinyin]
       How come he didn't come to school today?
       Nǐ zěnme huā le nàme cháng shíjiān a? [Pinyin]
       Why did it take you so long?
* in what way; what
       Wǒ shì zěnme gēn nǐ shuō de? [Pinyin]
       What did I tell you?
       Bìzuǐ, wǒ zěnme shuō nǐ jiù zěnme bàn! [Pinyin]
       Shut up and do what I say!
* used to indicate a degree, usually of inadequacy or inferiority
       Wǒ de nǚ'ér xiànzài sān suì, hái dōu bù zěnme huì xiězì. [Pinyin]
       My daughter is just three years old and cannot write anything very well.
       Wǒ hěn xǐhuān chànggē, dànshì wǒ hái bù zěnme huì chàng. [Pinyin]
       I love singing, but I'm not very good at it.
       Wǒ xiànzài hái bù zěnme huì dǎ wǎngqiú, dànshì zài lǎoshī de jiàodǎo xià, yīdìng néng tígāo wǒ de shuǐpíng! [Pinyin]
       I'm not that great at tennis now, but I will definitely improve under my teacher's guidance!

### Verb

怎麼 (chiefly Mandarin)
* to do or become in what way
    你怎麼了？／你怎么了？ ― Nǐ zěnme le? ― (“In what way did you go?”) What happened to you?
    我怎麼你了？／我怎么你了？ ― Wǒ zěnme nǐ le? ― (“What in a specific way did I do to you?”) What did I do to you?

#### Synonyms

* (how; why): 怎生 (zěnshēng) (obsolete)
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 何, 如何 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 怎麼 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 怎麼 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 怎麼 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 怎麼 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 怎麼 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 咋, 咋樣兒 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) | 咋, 咋的個, 咋麼, 咋麼個 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 咋, 咋個, 啷個 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chongqing | 啷個 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 麼, 麼樣, 哪樣 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 井幹 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 怎樣, 怎 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 點, 點樣 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 點, 點樣 |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 幾何 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 點 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 點 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 啷, 啷樣 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 仰般, 仰仔 |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Meilin) | 仰般 |
| Hakka | Heyuan (Bendihua) | 仰來 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 仰般, 仰仔 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 仰仔 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 仰般 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 仰脣, 仰 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 仰般, 仰般形 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 仰子 |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 采翹 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 咋, 咋底 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 怎怎, 怎, 怎其 |
| Eastern Min | Fuqing | 安難, 怎生 |
| Eastern Min | Singapore (Fuqing) | 安難 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 按怎, 怎影 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 按怎 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 按怎 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 按怎 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 障仔, 按怎, 怎 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 在生, 乜生, 做呢, 做物 |
| Southern Min | Raoping | 做呢 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 做呢 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 做呢 |
| Southern Min | Haifeng | 做呢 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 做呢, 做物 |
| Southern Min | Batam (Teochew) | 做呢物, 做物 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 怎作, 作乜 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 咋作 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hainanese) | 怎作 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 哪能 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 捺亨 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 咋, 咋貌, 咋貌介 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 訾那, 訾那能 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 何什, 何裡 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 麼家 |

#### Derived terms

* 不怎麼樣／不怎么样 (bùzěnmeyàng)
* 怎麼了／怎么了 (zěnme le)
* 怎麼得了／怎么得了 (zěnme déliǎo)
* 怎麼樣／怎么样 (zěnmeyàng)
* 怎麼著／怎么着
* 怎麼辦／怎么办 (zěnmebàn)
* 愛怎麼怎麼著／爱怎么怎么着 (ài zěnme zěnme zhāo)
* 愛怎麼著怎麼著／爱怎么着怎么着 (ài zěnme zhāo zěnme zhāo)
* 看怎麼說／看怎么说 (kàn zěnme shuō)

#### See also

* 怎樣／怎样 (zěnyàng, “in what way”)
* 什麼／什么 (shénme, “what”)
* 誰／谁 (shéi, “who”)
* 什麼時候／什么时候 (shénme shíhou, “when”)
* 哪裡／哪里 (nǎlǐ, “where”)
* 哪兒／哪儿 (nǎr, “where”)