どう

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: どう asks about the manner of an action or about a condition.
• Basic usage: It can ask how to make something, as in この料理はどう作りますか。.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Method and evaluation
  • どう作りますか asks about the method of making something, while 味はどうですか asks for a description or evaluation of its taste. The following predicate determines the information requested.
• Type and reason
  • どんな料理ですか asks about the kind or characteristics of a dish. Also distinguish どうして, which directly asks a reason, from どう asking a method.