10 common adjectives in Chinese – 1

When speaking Chinese, why describe everything as "good" or "bad"?

在讲中文的时候，你是否把所有的事情都描述成“好”或“坏”呢？

Load up on a big list of common and useful Chinese words to more aptly convey your feelings about something.

让我们来学习一些非常常用的词汇从而更加准确地传达你对某件事情的看法吧。

Is that dress cute? Is that TV show addicting? Is this guy gorgeous? Do you find his girlfriend annoying?

那件裙子可爱吗？那个电视节目好看吗？那个男孩帅吗？你有没有觉得他的女朋友很烦人？

We'll go through all these common adjectives and more.

让我们一起来学习这些常用的形容词吧。

1. 可爱 (Cute)

Okay, we've gotta know how to say "cute" in Chinese: 可爱 (kě ài). It's the go-to word to describe anything slightly attractive, small, lovable, pink, cuddly, good-looking or anything that simply suits your taste.

“Cute”用中文怎么讲？可爱(kě ài)。若某个东西有吸引力、小、讨人喜欢、粉粉的、逗人喜爱的、好看或任何你喜欢的东西，你都可以用“可爱”这个词。

Puppies, babies, clothes, boys, hairstyles and houses can all be described this way.

小狗，婴儿，衣服，男孩，发型还有房子都可以是“可爱”的。

Example:

例句

nǐ de xiǎo gǒu hǎo kě ài ō.

你的小狗好可爱喔。

Your little doggy is so cute.

喔 is an expression like, "oh" or "aw". In Chinese, these kinds of expressions can come at the end or beginning of a sentence. When appearing at the end of a sentence like in this one, it's usually used to indicate emphasis instead of expressing an interjection.

“喔”是叹词，相当于英文中的“oh” 或“aw”中文中，这类词一般放在句首或句尾。放在句尾的时候通常是起强调作用，而非表示感叹。

"可爱女人" (kě ài nǚ rén) is a classic pop song by Taiwanese artist Jay Chou (周杰伦) about a charming woman. Have you heard this song before?

《可爱女人》是台湾歌手周杰伦的一首经典的流行歌曲，讲述的是一位漂亮的女人。你听过这首歌吗？

2. 疯狂 (Crazy)

疯狂 (fēng kuáng) is another trendy descriptor, not only for actual out-of-control or illogical situations, but also for amusing, enjoyable, laughable cases.

疯狂（fēng kuáng）也是一个非常时髦的词语。它不仅可以指某人精神状态极端，也可以指某些事情很有趣、好笑。

Example:

例句：

wa, zhè bù diàn yǐng hěn fēng kuáng.

哇， 这部电影很疯狂 。

Wow, this movie is so crazy.

哇 is another Chinese expression, similar to "Wow".

“哇”也是一个叹词，相当于英文中的“wow”。

疯狂的石头(fēng kúang de shí tou), or "Crazy Stone," is a famous Chinese black comedy about how a precious jade stone causes a frantic competition over who can own it. On the other hand, 疯狂石头 (fēng kúang shí tou), is a fun and popular online game!

《疯狂的石头》(fēng kúang de shí tou), 英文名为“Crazy Stone”是一部华语黑色喜剧，主要讲述一群人如何争夺价值不菲的翡翠的故事。另外，《疯狂石头》则是一款非常流行的网络游戏。

3. 好笑 (Funny)

A million different things can be funny, or 好笑 (hǎo xiào). So you gotta learn this one.

有太多的事情都很好笑(hǎo xiào)，因此你应当学会“好笑”这个词。

好笑 literally translates as "good laugh": 好 (good) + 笑 (laugh/smile).

“好笑”字面上的意思可以翻译为“good laugh”：好 (good) + 笑 (laugh/smile).

Example:

例句

zhè xiào huà bù hǎo xiào.

这笑话不好笑。

This joke is not funny.

Another way to say "funny" is 搞笑 (gǎo xiào). 搞笑 means "make fun", as in creating humor.

“搞笑”是表示好笑的另外一个词。搞笑的英文意思为make fun，即创造幽默。

Example:

例句

wǒ de dì dì hěn gǎo xiào, tā huì bàn kǒng lóng.

我的弟弟很搞笑, 他会扮恐龙。

My younger brother is very funny. He pretends to be a dinosaur.

4. 漂亮 (Pretty)

Maybe you have already know 漂亮 (piào liàng). But since words for beauty are so common, let's run through a few more.

你可能已经学习过“漂亮(piào liàng)”这个词。但是，用于描述漂亮的词俯拾皆是。在此，我们再来学习一些这类词。

帅 (shuài — good-looking/hot)

美丽 (měi lì — beautiful)

动人 (dòng rén — moving)

Examples:

例句:

tā de gē shēng měi lì dòng rén.

她的歌声美丽动人。

Her singing is beautiful and moving.

zhè wèi jǐng chá hǎo shuài a.

这位警察好帅啊。

Whoa, this policeman is hot.

Why not try complimenting someone today using one of the above words of beauty?

你今天就可以用上面提到的几个描述漂亮的词去夸奖他人了。

5. 尴尬 (Awkward)

Un-pretty, not-funny things happen sometimes. You might think to yourself: That was so awkward, 很尴尬 (hěn gān gà).

有时候会发生一些比较难堪的事情，你可能就会说那“很尴尬 (hěn gān gà)”。

Example:

例句：

nǐ zhè yàng shuō wǒ hěn gān gà.

你这样说我很尴尬。

When you say that, I feel so awkward.

尴尬 (gān gà) can also mean embarrassing.

尴尬也有embarrassing的意思。

Example:

例句

wǒ chí dào le! hǎo gān gà

我迟到了! 好尴尬。

I'm late! It's so embarrassing.