How to Say ‘Why is it so expensive?’ in Simplified Chinese
怎么这么贵啊？
zěn me zhè me guì a
[dzuhn-muh juh-muh gway ah]
💬 Usage Tip: In [怎么这么贵啊？], [怎么] means "why" and [这么贵] is "so expensive," so the sentence is literally more like "how come it's this expensive?" This is a very common complaint pattern: [怎么这么慢啊？] "Why is it so slow?"
Phrase Breakdown
怎么
zěn me
[dzuhn-muh]
how; why
Used here to ask why the fare is so high.
这次打车怎么这么贵啊？
Why is this taxi ride so expensive?
这么贵
zhè me guì
so expensive
Describes a price that is surprisingly high; 这么 means “so/this much.”
这家店的水果这么贵。
The fruit at this store is so expensive.
Words in this phrase
这么
zhè me
[juh-muh]
so; this much
Shows a strong degree before an adjective like 贵.
今天怎么这么堵？
Why is it so congested today?
贵
guì
[gway]
expensive; costly
Means the price is high.
这个价太贵了。
This price is too expensive.
啊？
a
ah?; really?
A spoken particle showing surprise, emotion, or emphasis.
啊？你明天就走？
Huh? You’re leaving tomorrow already?
Words in this phrase
啊
a
[ah]
ah; sentence particle
Adds emotion such as surprise, complaint, or emphasis at the end of a sentence.
怎么这么贵啊？我不能接受。
Why is it so expensive? I can't accept it.
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