为什么 (wèi shén me) means “why” | MotiTan Chinese Dictionary

More examples

孩子们不知道为什么笑。hái zi men bù zhī dào wèi shén me xiào

The children do not know why they are laughing.

A question that traces an action or event back to its reason.

怎么zěn me: Used to ask about a way of doing something or the state of a situation.

用于询问事情发生的原因或理由，常置于句首或句中作疑问副词。yòng yú xún wèn shì qíng fā shēng de yuán yīn huò lǐ yóu cháng zhì yú jù shǒu huò jù zhōng zuò yí wèn fù cí

为什么 (wèishénme, "why") combines 为 (wèi, "for") with 什么 (shénme, "what"), so asking "for what?" develops into asking for a reason.

Unlike English, Chinese keeps normal statement order after this question word, so the subject and verb do not switch places.