怎
Character learning workspace

zěn · what? why? how?

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 怎

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 怎 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Writing notes

Shape and proportion

9Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Top-bottomCharacter structure

Keep the upper section balanced above the lower section.

心Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 怎 writing sheet

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 怎

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

zěnWords pronounced zěn
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 怎 sits in each complete thought.

Zhòng yào de shì wǒ zěn me xiǎng, ér bú shì nǐ!重要的是我怎么想,而不是你!

What really matters more is what I think, not really what you think!

Source: Tatoeba #13744212 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Dāng nǐ ài de rén bú ài nǐ zěn me bàn?当你爱的人不爱你怎么办?

What are you going to do when the one you love does not love you.

Source: Tatoeba #5615605 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā shì zěn yàng de rén ne?她是怎样的人呢?

What kind of person is she?

Source: Tatoeba #1691742 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ bǎ nǐ de xié zěn me le?你把你的鞋怎么了?

What did you do with your shoes?

Source: Tatoeba #5640746 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ shì zěn me xué huì shuō huà de?你是怎么学会说话的?

How did you learn to speak?

Source: Tatoeba #3378206 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ dào dǐ shì zěn me zuò dào de  ?你到底是怎么做到的 ?

How exactly did you do it?

Source: Tatoeba #1169506 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 怎 in context

  1. Say zěn, then recall the core meaning: what? why? how?.
  2. Write all 9 strokes while keeping the top-bottom balanced.
  3. Use it in 怎么 (zěn me), meaning “how?”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 怎 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.