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How to Say ‘How / why’ in Simplified Chinese

怎么

zěn me

[dzuhn-muh]

💬 Usage Tip: [怎么] can ask either "how" or "why" depending on context. In complaints like [怎么这么贵啊?], it often means "why is it like this?" rather than asking about method.

Phrase Breakdown

怎么

zěn me

[dzuhn-muh]

how; why

A common question word used to ask how something happens or why something is the case, depending on context.

Example

这个车费怎么这么高?

Why is this taxi fare so high?

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