Level 1 Lesson 22.1 – How to Write This Chinese Character?

Grammar 1: Ask How in Chinese with Question Pronoun 怎么 · HSK 1

Zěnme 怎么 is a Question Pronoun in Chinese, we use it to ask about manner or method. We can use it to (1) ask how in Chinese, and (2) ask how come in Chinese.

First, to ask how in Chinese with Question Pronoun 怎么, we can follow this structure:

Subject + 怎么 + Verb Predicate

For example,

• zhège Hànzì zěnme xiě
  这个汉字怎么写？
  how to write this Chinese character
• jīntiānde shēngcí zěnme dú
  今天的生词怎么读？
  how to read today's new word

怎么 can be used in more complicated sentences as well, for example,

• "I love you" yòng Zhōngwén zěnme shuō
  “I love you”用中文怎么说？
  how to say "I love you" in Chinese
• tā bù zhīdào zěnme zuò jiǎozi
  他不知道怎么做饺子。
  he doesn't know how to make dumplings
• wǒ xiǎng xuéhuì zěnme zuò pīsà
  我想学会怎么做披萨。
  I want to learn and be able to know how to make pizza

Grammar 2: Ask How Come in Chinese with Question Pronoun 怎么 · HSK 1

Second, we can also use Question Pronoun 怎么 to ask how in Chinese by following this structure

Subject + 怎么 + (V./Adj.) Predicate

For example,

• nǐ zěnme bù xǐhuan chī pīsà
  你怎么不喜欢吃披萨？
  how come you (do) not like eating pizza
• nǐ zěnme xiǎng xué Zhōngwén
  你怎么想学中文？
  how come you want to learn Chinese
• tā zuótiān zěnme bù gāoxìng
  她昨天怎么不高兴？
  how come she (was) not happy yesterday
• zhèwǎn jiǎozi zěnme bù hǎochī
  这碗饺子怎么不好吃？
  how come this bowl (of) dumplings (are) not tasty

Grammar 3: Review of Question Pronouns and Question Words in Chinese · HSK 1

Up till now, we have learned five Question Pronouns or Question Words in Chinese. And they are:

When used in questions, their position in the sentence is decided by which Member of Sentence they function as, and are not always put at the beginning of the sentence.

Grammar 4: Question Particle 呢 to Soften the Tone · HSK 1

We've learned two usages of 呢: (1) 呢 as a Question Particle to ask a contextual question, (2) to be used in the structure 在……呢 to suggest that an action/state is continuing.

Today we'll learn another usage: (3) 呢 as a Question Particle to be used at the end of the sentence, just to soften the tone.

Sentence + 呢

For example, each pair of the two sentences mean the same thing, but the one with 呢 at the end has a little bit nicer, more interested, softer tone.

• zhège jùzi zěnme dú
  这个句子怎么读？
  how to read this sentence
• zhège jùzi zěnme dú ne 
  这个句子怎么读呢？
  how to read this sentence

• nǐ jīntiān zěnme méi lái shàngbān
  你今天怎么没来上班？
  how come you didn't come to work today
• nǐ jīntiān zěnme méi lái shàngbān ne
  你今天怎么没来上班呢？
  how come you didn't come to work today

Grammar 5: The 好 + Verb Structure · HSK 1

In Lesson 2 we have learned two Adjectives hǎochī 好吃 and hǎohē 好喝, which means tasty for food and tasty for drinks. And hǎokàn 好看, which means good looking.

They are all created by this structure:

好 + Verb

Today we have more Adjectives that are created in this way, for example,

• hǎoxiě 好写 easy to write (with)
• hǎodú  好读 easy to read
• hǎoyòng 好用 easy to use