Look at this question and answer:

• A: What’s Sue like?
• B: She’s very pretty and she’s very kind, but she’s not very clever?

We use What … like? to ask about a person’s physical appearance (tall, short, fat, thin, pretty, etc.) or character (interesting, friendly, talkative, boring, etc.).

We can also use What … like? to ask about places, books, films, and events (e.g. a party, a football match, etc.):

• A: What’s London like?
• B: Well, there are many interesting places to visit, but it’s very expensive.

• A: What’s the new Quentin Tarantino film like?
• B: It’s excellent!

We use look like? to talk about somebody’s appearance:

• A: What does Sylwia look like?
• B: She’s very pretty and has dark hair.

We can also use like with taste, feel, sound, and smell:

• A: What does that taste like?
• B: It tastes like cheese.

• A: What’s this material?
• B: I’m not sure, but it feels like silk.

We can also like like, with the question word Who and in statements, to mean similar to:

• A: Who’s Joan like – her father or her mother?
• B: She’s like her mother. (= She is similar to her mother.)

• Kaszanka in Poland is like black pudding in Britain. (= Kaszanka is similar to black pudding.)

The word like in What’s she like? is a preposition; it is not the verb like. Here is an example of like used as a verb:

• A: What music does Steven like?
• B: He likes punk music.

We usually use How?, not What … like?, when we ask about somebody’s health or temporary state:

• A: How’s your mum today?
• B: She’s feeling much better, thank you.

• A: How was your boss today?
• B: He was actually quite friendly today!