HSK 3.0 Level 3 · Prepositions

怎样 zěnyàng “how” in Chinese

Traditional 怎樣

What 怎样 means

  1. how
  2. in what way
  3. what kind

How to say 怎样

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale怎zěn3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale样yàng4th tone, falling

怎样 in a sentence

  1. 天气怎样？

    Tiānqì zěnyàng?

    What’s the weather like?

    Sentence #824719 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  2. 你是怎样认识她的？

    Nǐ shì zěnyàng rènshi tā de?

    How did you get to know her?

    Sentence #669088 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  3. 我能教你怎样游泳。

    Wǒ néng jiāo nǐ zěnyàng yóuyǒng.

    I can teach you how to swim.

    Sentence #6325142 from Tatoeba

How 怎样 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 怎 (zěn) with each of its parts in a different colour
怎zěnhow
  • 乍first time · zhàSound part
  • 心heart · xīnMeaning part

心 hints at the meaning (heart); 乍 (zhà) hints at the sound. Compare it with zěn.

The character 样 (yàng) with each of its parts in a different colour
样yàngmanner
  • 木tree · mùMeaning part
  • 羊sheep · yángSound part

木 hints at the meaning (tree); 羊 (yáng) hints at the sound. Compare it with yàng.

How to write 怎样

怎 9 strokes · 样 10 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

怎样 (zěnyàng) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 怎样 (zěnyàng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 怎样

Words with 怎

怎么zěnme · how怎么样zěnmeyàng · how is it怎么办zěnmebàn · what should I do?

Words with 样

怎么样zěnmeyàng · how is it那样nàyàng · that kind这样zhèyàng · this kind of一样yíyàng · the same样子yàngzi · appearance同样tóngyàng · likewise样式yàngshì · type模样múyàng · appearance样品yàngpǐn · sample榜样bǎngyàng · role model

FAQs

怎样 (zěnyàng) means “how” or “in what way”. It is an HSK 3.0 Level 3 word.
Say it zěnyàng: zěn with a 3rd tone, then yàng with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 怎样 is written 怎樣. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type zenyang with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 怎样 from the suggestions. Typing zenyang into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
怎样 is an HSK 3.0 Level 3 word in the official 2021 syllabus, and it is on our HSK 3.0 Band 3 word list. It is not on the older HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.