如何

• Pinyin: rú hé
• Hanzi breakdown: 如 = 女 (woman) + 口 (mouth), originally meaning to follow or be like; 何 = 亻(person) + 可 (able), meaning what or how

Meaning

How; in what way. A formal way to ask about methods, means, or opinions.

A formal equivalent of 怎么 or 怎样, used to ask about methods or to seek opinions. Very common in written Chinese, titles, formal questions, and indirect speech. Also used in rhetorical questions. Preferred in article headlines, book titles, and professional contexts over the more colloquial 怎么.

Examples

1. 你觉得这个计划如何？ What do you think of this plan?
2. 如何提高学习效率是很多学生关心的问题。 How to improve study efficiency is a question many students care about.
3. 请告诉我如何使用这个软件。 Please tell me how to use this software.

Usage Guide

Context: formal questions, written Chinese, titles, indirect speech

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 如何解决这个问题？(How do we solve this problem?)
• 你觉得这部电影如何？(What do you think of this movie?)

Don't Say

• 你如何了？(Don't use 如何 to ask how someone is doing casually — use 你怎么了 or 你好吗. 如何 is for asking about methods or seeking formal opinions.)

Origin & History

如 means like or as (女 woman + 口 mouth, originally to follow/obey); 何 means what or how (亻person + 可 able). Together: in what manner — how.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal