什么 vs 怎么 (shénme vs zěnme): “what” vs “how”
什么 (shénme) asks for a thing, action, or identity — “what”. 怎么 (zěnme) asks for a manner, method, or reason — “how”, or expresses surprise about a state (e.g., “how come”). The main confusion arises when both could translate as “what” (e.g., 做什么 “do what” vs 怎么做 “how to do it”). Use 什么 for the object or content, 怎么 for the way or cause.
什么 (shénme) means “what” and is used to ask about a thing, an action, or a piece of information. 怎么 (zěnme) means “how” and asks about the manner, method, or reason behind an action or state. When asking about an action, 什么 targets the object (做什么 “do what”), while 怎么 targets the method (怎么做 “how to do it”). 怎么 can also appear before adjectives to express surprise or ask for the reason behind a quality (e.g., 怎么这么贵？ “How come it’s so expensive?”). The two are not interchangeable in these core uses.
When to use each
Use 什么 to ask for a specific thing, object, action, or identity. It replaces the noun or verb object in a question. For example, 你叫什么名字？ asks “what is your name?”; 你吃什么？ asks “what do you eat?”. It can also be used in exclamations like 什么！ “What!” to show surprise, though this is more limited.
什么 can be used in series to mean “whatever” (e.g., 什么都 “everything”) or in rhetorical questions, but these are extended uses beyond basic questions.
Use 怎么 to ask about the manner, method, or cause of an action or state. For actions, it asks “how” (e.g., 你怎么去学校？ “How do you go to school?”). For adjectives, it often expresses surprise or seeks the reason (e.g., 怎么这么贵？ “How come it’s so expensive?”). It can also ask “how to” do something, as in 这个字怎么写？ “How do you write this character?”
怎么 can be followed by the adverb 这么 (this/so) or 那么 (that/so) to strengthen the exclamation or inquiry about degree, e.g., 怎么这么大？ “How come it’s so big?”. Do not use 怎么 directly before an adjective without 这么/那么, as it sounds unnatural.
At a glance
| 什么 | 怎么 | |
|---|---|---|
| Core meaning | asks for a thing/action/identity (what) | asks for a manner/reason (how) |
| Use before verbs | 什么 + verb (object focus): 你吃什么？ | 怎么 + verb (manner focus): 你怎么吃？ |
| Use before adjectives | Not used (什么 cannot modify adjectives directly) | 怎么 + 这么/那么 + adjective (expresses surprise or asks reason): 怎么这么大？ |
| Answer type | Specific noun, name, or action (e.g., “我吃米饭”) | Description of method or reason (e.g., “我坐地铁去”) |
| Negation | 没什么 (méi shénme) “nothing / not much” | 不怎么 (bù zěnme) “not very / not often” (e.g., 我不怎么喜欢 “I don’t really like it”) |
Examples
- 什么你叫什么名字？Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?What is your name?什么 asks for the identity (name).
- 什么你今天做什么？Nǐ jīntiān zuò shénme?What are you doing today?什么 asks for the action/activity (object of 做).
- 怎么这个字怎么写？Zhège zì zěnme xiě?How do you write this character?怎么 asks for the method of writing.
- 怎么你怎么去公司？Nǐ zěnme qù gōngsī?How do you go to the company?怎么 asks for the means of transportation or manner.
- 怎么这个苹果怎么这么贵？Zhège píngguǒ zěnme zhème guì?How come this apple is so expensive?怎么 + 这么 + adjective expresses surprise about the degree.
- 什么你想吃什么？(✗你想怎么吃？wouldmean'Howdoyouwanttoeat?')Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?What do you want to eat?什么 is correct for asking about food; 怎么 would ask about the manner of eating.
Common mistakes
- Using 怎么 to ask 'what to do' (e.g., 你怎么做？ to mean 'What do you do?') — should be 你做什么？ for 'what'; 你怎么做？ means 'How do you do it?'.
- Using 什么 to ask 'how to do something' (e.g., 这个字什么写？) — should be 这个字怎么写？.
- Directly placing 怎么 before an adjective without 这么/那么 (e.g., 怎么大？) — unnatural; correct is 怎么这么大？ or 怎么那么大？.
- Confusing 没什么 (nothing) with 不怎么 (not very): 没什么事 means 'nothing important', 不怎么好 means 'not very good'.
- Using 怎么 to mean 'what' in questions about identity (e.g., 你怎么名字？) — should use 什么.
FAQ
- When do I use 什么 vs 怎么?
- Use 什么 to ask 'what' — for a thing, name, or action. Use 怎么 to ask 'how' — for a method, manner, or reason. For example, 你吃什么？(What do you eat?) vs 你怎么吃？(How do you eat?).
- Can 怎么 mean 'what'?
- Not usually. 怎么 means 'how' or 'why/how come'. However, in certain expressions like 怎么 + 这么 + adjective, it can loosely be translated as 'how can it be' (e.g., 怎么这么贵？ 'How come it's so expensive?'), but it never directly replaces 什么 as 'what'.
- What is the difference between 做什么 and 怎么做?
- 做什么 (zuò shénme) asks 'what to do' (the action itself). 怎么做 (zěnme zuò) asks 'how to do it' (the method). They are different question words targeting different aspects of the action.
- How do I express 'how come' or 'why' with 怎么?
- Use 怎么 before an adjective or verb plus 这么/那么 to express surprise or query about reason: e.g., 你怎么这么晚？ 'How come you are so late?' or 他为什么不来？ (but 怎么 can also imply a gentle 'why'). Note that 怎么 is less direct than 为什么 for pure 'why'.