How to write 怎 (zěn, “how”)

怎 (zěn), an HSK 1 character, means “how”. It pairs a meaning part, 心 (“heart”), with a sound part, 乍 (“at first”). Among the HSK words it appears in 怎么 (“how?”), 怎么样 (“how?”) and 怎样 (“how”). Japanese reads it shin, “why”.

Pinyin: zěn
Strokes: 9
HSK: 1
Radical: 心 (“heart”)

Stroke by stroke

As a top-bottom character it splits into 乍 (“at first”), strokes 1–5; 心 (“heart”, the radical), strokes 6–9, written the top first.

topdown and left
toprightwards
topdown and right → downwards
toprightwards
centerrightwards
leftdownwards
leftdown and right → rightwards → up and left
centerdown and right
rightdown and right

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (9 strokes in Japanese, 9 strokes in Chinese).

Japanese · KanjiVG · 9 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 9 strokes

Where 怎 comes from

heart

Meaning part: 心 (“heart”)
Sound part: 乍 (“at first”)

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
zěn third tone	how	—	怎么怎么样怎样怎么办

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 1
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 1 word
Words with it: 19 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 怎

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
怎么怎麼	zěnme	how?; what? HSK 1
怎么样怎麼樣	zěnmeyàng	how?; how about? HSK 1
怎样怎樣	zěnyàng	how; what kind HSK 3
怎么办怎麼辦	zěnmebàn	what's to be done HSK 3
怎生	zěnshēng	how; why
怎的	zěnde	what for; why
怎能	zěnnéng	how can?
不怎么不怎麼	bùzěnme	not very; not particularly
再怎么再怎麼	zàizěnme	no matter how ...
怎么了怎麼了	zěnmele	What's up?; What's going on?

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 1, in list order: