咋 (zǎ) — (bound form, colloquial Northern Mandarin) how; why
Definition
咋 (zǎ) is a colloquial, mainly Northern way to say 'how' or 'why' in questions — never used in writing. It is a bound form that must attach to a following word, as in 咋办 ('what to do') or 咋样 ('how is it').
bound form
(bound form, colloquial Northern Mandarin) howwhy
Examples
- 咋？Nǐ zǎ bú qù?Why aren't you going?
- 咋？Tā zǎ yàng le?How is he?
- 咋？Zhè zǎ bàn?What do we do?
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