How to say "How?" in Chinese

怎么 (zěnme) is a question word meaning 'how'. It's often placed before a verb to ask 'how to do something', but can also stand alone as a short question meaning 'How?' or 'What?'

As a standalone question, 怎么? is informal and can mean 'How?' or 'What did you say?' depending on context. Use it with friends or in casual conversation. For a full question, pair it with a verb, like 怎么去 (how to go).