咋 (zǎ) - how & why
咋 · zǎ
how;
why;
what;
used in interrogative expressions to ask about manner, reason, or state.
howwhywhat
Usage highlights
howwhat's the matterhow aboutwhyhow to dohow come
Usage & contexts
Examples
- How are you doing?(你咋样?)
- What's the matter?(咋了?)
- Why didn't you come?(你咋没来?)
- How should we handle this?(这事该咋办?)
Collocations
- how(咋)
- what's the matter(咋了)
- how about(咋样)
- why(为啥咋)
- how to do(咋办)
- how come(咋回事)
Idioms
- Bold and unconstrained(咋咋呼呼)
- To shout loudly(咋咋呼呼)
- To make a big fuss(咋咋呼呼)
Cultural background
FAQ- Commonly used in northern Chinese dialects, particularly in informal speech.
- Often appears in colloquial expressions to convey casual interrogation or surprise.
- Reflects regional linguistic characteristics and is less formal than standard interrogatives like 怎么.