Chinese Adjectives : Top List, Pinyin, and How to Learn

Last updated: 09/17/2025

Chinese adjectives are words that describe people, places, and things—just like “beautiful” or “happy” in English. In Chinese, adjectives such as 美丽 (měi lì – beautiful) or 高兴 (gāo xìng – happy) make.

At WuKong Education, our online Chinese courses turn everyday words into fun, interactive lessons that boost kids’ confidence in reading, speaking, and writing.

What Are Chinese Adjectives?

Chinese adjectives are descriptive words used to talk about qualities—like size, color, emotion, or personality. They typically come before the noun with the particle “的 (de)” or after the subject with “很 (hěn)” to show degree.

Examples:

她很漂亮。Tā hěn piào liang. — She is pretty.
漂亮的花 piào liang de huā — Pretty flower

Understanding where adjectives go in a sentence helps children form correct word order early on. Because Chinese doesn’t use conjugations like English does, kids can learn to slot adjectives into patterns quickly.

Commonly Used Chinese Adjectives in Daily Life

The following are adjectives that are frequently used in daily life：

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Example Sentence
美丽	měi lì	beautiful	她是一个美丽的女孩。She is a beautiful girl.
高兴	gāo xìng	happy	我今天很高兴。I am happy today.
聪明	cōng míng	smart	你是一个聪明的学生。You are a smart student.
可爱	kě ài	cute	这只猫很可爱。This cat is cute.
高	gāo	tall	他很高。He is tall.
小	xiǎo	small	这本书很小。This book is small.
大	dà	big	那是一只大狗。That is a big dog.
快	kuài	fast	这辆车很快。This car is fast.
慢	màn	slow	乌龟走得很慢。The turtle walks slowly.
热	rè	hot	天气很热。The weather is hot.
冷	lěng	cold	冰水很冷。Ice water is cold.
漂亮	piào liang	pretty	这幅画很漂亮。This painting is pretty.
干净	gān jìng	clean	你的房间很干净。Your room is clean.
脏	zāng	dirty	桌子很脏。The table is dirty.
新	xīn	new	我买了一本新书。I bought a new book.
旧	jiù	old (object)	这辆车很旧。This car is old.
好吃	hǎo chī	tasty	这个蛋糕很好吃。This cake is tasty.
难	nán	difficult	这道题很难。This question is difficult.
容易	róng yì	easy	这首歌很容易唱。This song is easy to sing.
有趣	yǒu qù	interesting	这个故事很有趣。This story is interesting.

How to Use Chinese Adjectives

Adjectives in Chinese often pair with degree adverbs like 很 (hěn – very), 非常 (fēi cháng – extremely), or 有点 (yǒu diǎn – a little).

他非常高兴。Tā fēi cháng gāo xìng. — He is extremely happy.
这道题有点难。Zhè dào tí yǒu diǎn nán. — This question is a little difficult.

When an adjective directly modifies a noun, it usually takes 的 (de):

漂亮的花 (piào liang de huā) — pretty flower
干净的房间 (gān jìng de fáng jiān) — clean room

adjective + 的 + noun or subject + 很 + adjective

How Chinese Adjectives Support Chinese Learning

Learning adjectives helps:

Describe people and objects vividly
Practice tones with familiar words
Build longer, more meaningful sentences
Engage in speaking and writing exercises

“Sarah, a parent, says: ‘Chinese adjectives activities sparked my child’s creativity and helped her describe her world in Mandarin!’”

Our Chinese courses for kids use high-frequency adjectives to anchor new grammar and sentence patterns, making lessons both fun and practical.

Top 100 Chinese Adjectives

Personality & Character Chinese Adjectives

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Example Sentence
善良	shàn liáng	kind, good-hearted	她是一个善良的人。She is a kind person.
勇敢	yǒng gǎn	brave	勇敢的战士不畏惧困难。Brave warriors do not fear difficulties.
幽默	yōu mò	humorous	他的演讲非常幽默。His speech was very humorous.
诚实	chéng shí	honest	诚实是最重要的品德之一。Honesty is one of the most important virtues.
耐心	nài xīn	patient	老师耐心地回答学生的问题。The teacher patiently answered the students’ questions.
谦虚	qiān xū	modest	即使成功了，他也十分谦虚。Even after success, he remains very modest.
自信	zì xìn	confident	她自信地走进了考场。She walked into the examination room confidently.
开朗	kāi lǎng	outgoing	性格开朗的人朋友多。Outgoing people have many friends.
严肃	yán sù	serious	父亲的表情很严肃。Father’s expression is very serious.
慷慨	kāng kǎi	generous	他慷慨地捐赠了善款。He generously donated to charity.
自私	zì sī	selfish	自私的人不考虑他人感受。Selfish people do not consider others’ feelings.
懒惰	lǎn duò	lazy	懒惰是成功的大敌。Laziness is the enemy of success.
真诚	zhēn chéng	sincere	我被他真诚的道歉打动了。I was moved by his sincere apology.
坚强	jiān qiáng	strong (mentally)	她是个坚强的女性。She is a strong woman.
优雅	yōu yǎ	elegant	这位女士举止非常优雅。This lady’s demeanor is very elegant.

Emotions & Feelings Chinese Adjectives

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Example Sentence
高兴	gāo xìng	happy	我今天很高兴。I am very happy today.
兴奋	xīng fèn	excited	孩子们对旅行感到兴奋。The children are excited about the trip.
紧张	jǐn zhāng	nervous	演讲前他有点紧张。He was a bit nervous before the speech.
惊讶	jīng yà	surprised	听到这个消息，我很惊讶。I was very surprised to hear this news.
伤心	shāng xīn	sad	小狗走丢了，他很伤心。He is very sad that the puppy is lost.
愤怒	fèn nù	angry	不公平的事情让他感到愤怒。The injustice made him feel angry.
害怕	hài pà	afraid, scared	我害怕一个人走夜路。I am afraid of walking alone at night.
尴尬	gān gà	embarrassed	他忘了我的名字，十分尴尬。He forgot my name and was very embarrassed.
满意	mǎn yì	satisfied	客户对结果很满意。The client is very satisfied with the result.
失望	shī wàng	disappointed	比赛输了，球迷们很失望。The fans were very disappointed that the team lost.
孤独	gū dú	lonely	在陌生的城市，他感到孤独。He feels lonely in a strange city.
平静	píng jìng	calm, peaceful	听完音乐，我的心情平静了。After listening to the music, my mind became calm.
烦恼	fán nǎo	annoyed, worried	他最近为工作的事烦恼。He has been worried about work lately.
好奇	hào qí	curious	孩子对世界充满了好奇。Children are full of curiosity about the world.
幸福	xìng fú	happy, blessed	一家人团聚非常幸福。The family reunion is very blissful.

Appearance & State Chinese Adjectives

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Example Sentence
美丽	měi lì	beautiful	她是一个美丽的女孩。She is a beautiful girl.
帅	shuài	handsome	她的男朋友很帅。Her boyfriend is very handsome.
可爱	kě ài	cute	这只小狗真可爱。This puppy is really cute.
漂亮	piào liang	pretty	这件衣服很漂亮。This dress is very pretty.
高	gāo	tall	他长得非常高。He is very tall.
矮	ǎi	short (height)	这张桌子有点矮。This table is a bit short.
胖	pàng	fat	那只胖猫很懒。That fat cat is very lazy.
瘦	shòu	thin	她生病后瘦了很多。She lost a lot of weight and became thin after her illness.
年轻	nián qīng	young	他看起来比实际年龄年轻。He looks younger than his actual age.
老	lǎo	old (age)	那位老先生已经80岁了。That old gentleman is already 80 years old.
长	cháng	long	她留着一头长发。She has long hair.
短	duǎn	short (length)	夏天适合穿短裤。Summer is suitable for wearing shorts.
大	dà	big	我们需要一个大箱子。We need a big box.
小	xiǎo	small	这个手机非常小。This mobile phone is very small.
新	xīn	new	我买了一辆新车。I bought a new car.
旧	jiù	old (object)	这是一本旧书。This is an old book.
干净	gān jìng	clean	房间打扫得很干净。The room was cleaned very clean.
脏	zāng	dirty	你的手很脏，快去洗洗。Your hands are dirty, go wash them.
整齐	zhěng qí	neat, tidy	他把书摆得很整齐。He arranged the books very neatly.
乱	luàn	messy	他的房间总是很乱。His room is always messy.
亮	liàng	bright	白天房间很亮。The room is very bright during the day.
暗	àn	dark	天暗下来了，要下雨了。The sky is getting dark, it’s going to rain.
强	qiáng	strong	他身体很强壮。He is very strong.
弱	ruò	weak	病后她的身体很弱。Her body is very weak after the illness.
软	ruǎn	soft	这张床很软，很舒服。This bed is very soft and comfortable.
硬	yìng	hard	这块木头非常硬。This piece of wood is very hard.
滑	huá	slippery	地上有水，很滑。The floor is wet and slippery.
粗糙	cū cāo	rough	他的手掌很粗糙。His palms are very rough.
胖乎乎	pàng hū hū	chubby	婴儿的脸胖乎乎的，很可爱。The baby’s face is chubby and very cute.
苗条	miáo tiao	slim	她身材很苗条。She has a slim figure.

Evaluation & Difficulty Chinese Adjectives

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Example Sentence
好	hǎo	good	这是一个好主意。This is a good idea.
坏	huài	bad	天气坏透了。The weather is terrible.
好吃	hǎo chī	delicious, tasty	这个苹果很好吃。This apple is delicious.
难吃	nán chī	tastes bad	这药很难吃。This medicine tastes bad.
有趣	yǒu qù	interesting	这个故事真有趣。This story is really interesting.
无聊	wú liáo	boring	这部电影太无聊了。This movie is too boring.
重要	zhòng yào	important	这是一个重要的会议。This is an important meeting.
普通	pǔ tōng	ordinary, common	这是一个很普通的杯子。This is a very ordinary cup.
有用	yǒu yòng	useful	这把工具非常有用。This tool is very useful.
无用	wú yòng	useless	这些是无用的信息。This is useless information.
方便	fāng biàn	convenient	地铁站很近，很方便。The subway station is very close, it’s very convenient.
麻烦	má fan	troublesome	办手续很麻烦。The procedures are very troublesome.
安全	ān quán	safe	过马路要注意安全。Pay attention to safety when crossing the road.
危险	wēi xiǎn	dangerous	玩火很危险。Playing with fire is dangerous.
难	nán	difficult	中文发音很难。Chinese pronunciation is difficult.
容易	róng yì	easy	这个问题很容易。This question is easy.
复杂	fù zá	complicated	这个机器结构很复杂。The structure of this machine is very complicated.
简单	jiǎn dān	simple	这是一个简单的问题。This is a simple question.
正确	zhèng què	correct	你的答案是正确的。Your answer is correct.
错误	cuò wù	wrong, incorrect	这是一个错误的决定。This was a wrong decision.
合适	hé shì	suitable, appropriate	这双鞋大小正合适。These shoes are the right size.
奇怪	qí guài	strange, weird	他的行为很奇怪。His behavior is very strange.
特别	tè bié	special	今天是个特别的日子。Today is a special day.
正常	zhèng cháng	normal	他的体温很正常。His body temperature is normal.
流行	liú xíng	popular, trendy	这首歌今年很流行。This song is very popular this year.

Environment & Nature Chinese Adjectives

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Example Sentence
热	rè	hot	夏天很热。Summer is hot.
冷	lěng	cold	冬天很冷。Winter is cold.
温暖	wēn nuǎn	warm	阳光晒得很温暖。The sun feels very warm.
凉爽	liáng shuǎng	cool	秋天天气很凉爽。The weather is very cool in autumn.
潮湿	cháo shī	humid	下雨后空气很潮湿。The air is very humid after the rain.
干燥	gān zào	dry	沙漠地区非常干燥。Desert areas are very dry.
晴朗	qíng lǎng	sunny	今天天气晴朗。The weather is sunny today.
阴	yīn	overcast	天空很阴，可能要下雨。The sky is overcast, it might rain.
吵	chǎo	noisy	街上很吵。The street is very noisy.
安静	ān jìng	quiet	图书馆里很安静。The library is very quiet.
拥挤	yōng jǐ	crowded	早上的地铁非常拥挤。The subway in the morning is very crowded.
空	kōng	empty	房间是空的。The room is empty.
远	yuǎn	far	我家离公司很远。My home is very far from the company.
近	jìn	near	超市离我家很近。The supermarket is very near my home.
快	kuài	fast	这辆车很快。This car is very fast.
慢	màn	slow	乌龟爬得很慢。The turtle crawls very slowly.

Conclusion

Chinese adjectives are the paintbrushes of language, helping kids add color and detail to their sentences. By learning words like 漂亮 (piào liang) or 有趣 (yǒu qù), children build confidence, improve pinyin skills, and express themselves more vividly.

WuKong Chinese Online Classes: The Global Choice Kids Love, Parents Trust

Founded in Silicon Valley in 2016, WuKong Education has served 300,000+ families across 118+ countries. Designed for ages 3–18, our engaging online courses take kids from zero knowledge to confident communication, and even success in international exams like IB and HSK.

Why Families Choose WuKong Chinese:

Age-Based, Level-Up Learning: Immersive curriculum covering listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with Chinese culture woven throughout.
Elite Teachers, Personal Guidance: Top 1% of teachers, 76% with Master’s or higher, multilingual, providing one-on-one feedback.
Start Risk-Free: Enjoy a free trial class plus a personalized study plan. High-value, flexible online learning — because every child deserves this lifelong advantage!

Learn authentic Chinese from those who live and breathe the culture.

Specially tailored for kids aged 3-18 around the world!

Get started free!

Roxy | WuKong Chinese Teacher

I have been deeply involved in the K12 education field for many years, acquiring rich professional knowledge and experience. My extensive understanding of Chinese culture and education enhances my ability to integrate diverse educational methodologies. I hold a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Melbourne, which bolsters my expertise and pedagogical skills. Passionate about fostering educational environments that inspire and empower, I am committed to creating inclusive learning experiences. My aim is to positively impact students’ lives and equip them with tools for success in a globalized world.