Traditional Chinese Senses Vocabulary (Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch… and the “Wait, That’s a Sense?” Ones)

Learn real-life words + phrases with pinyin and examples 五感與感官描述

Want to say more than “It’s good” or “It’s weird”? This guide gives you Traditional Chinese characters, pinyin, clear meanings, and real sentences for sight, sound, smell, taste, touch—and the extra senses your body loves to surprise you with.

You’ll get fast “copy-paste” phrases (like “sounds good” and “smells amazing”), plus tons of descriptive words so you can talk about food, people, places, pain, temperature, texture… basically life.

Yak Snark (gentle, but true)

If you keep describing everything as “nice,” the universe will keep serving you “nice” experiences. Upgrade your vocabulary and suddenly your noodles become “chewy,” your coffee becomes “bitter,” and your headphones become “too loud.” Magic? No. Words.

Fast Wins: 8 Sense Words You’ll Actually Use

視覺

shìjué

vision (sense of sight)

聽覺

tīngjué

hearing (sense of sound)

嗅覺

xiùjué

smell (sense of scent)

味覺

wèijué

taste (sense of flavor)

觸覺

chùjué

touch (sense of physical contact)

平衡感

pínghéng gǎn

sense of balance

疼痛

téngtòng

pain

感覺

gǎnjué

feeling / sensation

Associated Phrases You Can Copy-Paste in Real Life

Phrase看起來不錯 kàn qǐlái búcuò
Looks pretty good.
Example這家店看起來不錯，我們進去吧。
Zhè jiā diàn kàn qǐlái búcuò, wǒmen jìnqù ba.
This place looks good—let’s go in.

Phrase聽起來很棒 tīng qǐlái hěn bàng
Sounds great.
Example你這個計畫聽起來很棒。
Nǐ zhège jìhuà tīng qǐlái hěn bàng.
Your plan sounds great.

Phrase聞起來很香 wén qǐlái hěn xiāng
Smells really good.
Example這個麵包聞起來很香。
Zhège miànbāo wén qǐlái hěn xiāng.
This bread smells amazing.

Phrase嘗起來很甜 cháng qǐlái hěn tián
Tastes sweet.
Example這杯奶茶嘗起來很甜。
Zhè bēi nǎichá cháng qǐlái hěn tián.
This milk tea tastes sweet.

Phrase摸起來很滑 mō qǐlái hěn huá
Feels smooth (to the touch).
Example這件衣服摸起來很滑，很舒服。
Zhè jiàn yīfu mō qǐlái hěn huá, hěn shūfú.
This shirt feels smooth—really comfy.

Phrase我有點看不清楚 wǒ yǒudiǎn kàn bu qīngchu
I can’t see it clearly.
Example字太小了，我有點看不清楚。
Zì tài xiǎo le, wǒ yǒudiǎn kàn bu qīngchu.
The text is too small—I can’t see it clearly.

Phrase聲音太大了 shēngyīn tài dà le
It’s too loud.
Example可以小聲一點嗎？聲音太大了。
Kěyǐ xiǎoshēng yìdiǎn ma? Shēngyīn tài dà le.
Can you lower it a bit? It’s too loud.

Phrase我聞不到味道 wǒ wén bú dào wèidào
I can’t smell anything.
Example我感冒了，所以我聞不到味道。
Wǒ gǎnmào le, suǒyǐ wǒ wén bú dào wèidào.
I have a cold, so I can’t smell anything.

Phrase這個有點辣 zhège yǒudiǎn là
This is a bit spicy.
Example我不太能吃辣，這個有點辣。
Wǒ bù tài néng chī là, zhège yǒudiǎn là.
I’m not great with spicy food—this is a bit spicy.

Phrase我手麻了 wǒ shǒu má le
My hand is numb.
Example我睡覺壓到手了，現在我手麻了。
Wǒ shuìjiào yā dào shǒu le, xiànzài wǒ shǒu má le.
I slept on my hand, and now it’s numb.

Phrase我起雞皮疙瘩 wǒ qǐ jīpí gēda
I’m getting goosebumps.
Example好冷喔，我起雞皮疙瘩了。
Hǎo lěng o, wǒ qǐ jīpí gēda le.
It’s so cold—I’ve got goosebumps.

Phrase我頭暈 wǒ tóuyūn
I feel dizzy.
Example我站起來太快了，有點頭暈。
Wǒ zhàn qǐlái tài kuài le, yǒudiǎn tóuyūn.
I stood up too fast—feeling a bit dizzy.

The Handy Pattern: “—起來” = “Looks/Sounds/Smells/Tastes/Feels…”

In Traditional Chinese, 起來 is your best friend for describing impressions. Attach it to a verb and you get “seems / feels like.” It’s perfect when you’re not 100% sure… or you just want to sound natural.

這個房間看起來很亮。

Zhège fángjiān kàn qǐlái hěn liàng.

This room looks bright.

那首歌聽起來有點吵。

Nà shǒu gē tīng qǐlái yǒudiǎn chǎo.

That song sounds a bit noisy.

這道菜聞起來很香，吃起來也不錯。

Zhè dào cài wén qǐlái hěn xiāng, chī qǐlái yě búcuò.

This dish smells great, and it tastes good too.

Table of Words: Senses + Descriptives

Core Senses & Useful “Sense Verbs”

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
視覺	shìjué	vision	他的視覺很好，看得很清楚。 Tā de shìjué hěn hǎo, kàn de hěn qīngchu.	His vision is good—he can see clearly.
聽覺	tīngjué	hearing	她的聽覺很敏感，小聲也聽得到。 Tā de tīngjué hěn mǐngǎn, xiǎoshēng yě tīng de dào.	Her hearing is sensitive—she can hear even quiet sounds.
嗅覺	xiùjué	smell	我感冒時嗅覺會變差。 Wǒ gǎnmào shí xiùjué huì biàn chà.	When I have a cold, my sense of smell gets worse.
味覺	wèijué	taste (sense)	這幾天我味覺怪怪的。 Zhè jǐ tiān wǒ wèijué guàiguài de.	These days my sense of taste feels off.
觸覺	chùjué	touch (sense)	這種布料觸覺很好，不會刺。 Zhè zhǒng bùliào chùjué hěn hǎo, bú huì cì.	This fabric feels nice and isn’t scratchy.
感覺	gǎnjué	feeling / sensation	我有一種不太好的感覺。 Wǒ yǒu yì zhǒng bù tài hǎo de gǎnjué.	I have a not-so-good feeling.
覺得	juéde	to feel / to think (opinion)	我覺得這裡有點冷。 Wǒ juéde zhèlǐ yǒudiǎn lěng.	I feel it’s a bit cold here.
看見	kànjiàn	to see (catch sight of)	我看見你了，在那邊！ Wǒ kànjiàn nǐ le, zài nàbiān!	I see you—over there!
聽到	tīngdào	to hear (a sound)	我聽到外面有人在笑。 Wǒ tīngdào wàimiàn yǒu rén zài xiào.	I heard someone laughing outside.
聞到	wéndào	to smell (notice an odor)	我聞到咖啡的香味了。 Wǒ wéndào kāfēi de xiāngwèi le.	I can smell the coffee aroma.
嚐到	chángdào	to taste (detect a flavor)	我嚐到一點檸檬味。 Wǒ chángdào yìdiǎn níngméng wèi.	I can taste a hint of lemon.
摸起來	mō qǐlái	to feel (to the touch)	這個枕頭摸起來很軟。 Zhège zhěntou mō qǐlái hěn ruǎn.	This pillow feels very soft.

Vision Descriptions

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
亮	liàng	bright	這裡太亮了，我眼睛不舒服。 Zhèlǐ tài liàng le, wǒ yǎnjīng bù shūfú.	It’s too bright here—my eyes feel uncomfortable.
暗	àn	dark / dim	房間有點暗，我開燈。 Fángjiān yǒudiǎn àn, wǒ kāi dēng.	The room is a bit dim—I’ll turn on the light.
清楚	qīngchu	clear	我看得很清楚，不用放大。 Wǒ kàn de hěn qīngchu, búyòng fàngdà.	I can see it clearly—no need to zoom in.
模糊	móhu	blurry	照片有點模糊，可以重拍嗎？ Zhàopiàn yǒudiǎn móhu, kěyǐ chóngpāi ma?	The photo is a bit blurry—can we retake it?
刺眼	cìyǎn	glaring (hurts the eyes)	太陽很刺眼，我戴墨鏡。 Tàiyáng hěn cìyǎn, wǒ dài mòjìng.	The sun is glaring, so I’m wearing sunglasses.
閃亮	shǎnliàng	sparkly / shiny	她的耳環很閃亮。 Tā de ěrhuán hěn shǎnliàng.	Her earrings are very shiny.
近視	jìnshì	nearsighted	我有點近視，遠的字看不清楚。 Wǒ yǒudiǎn jìnshì, yuǎn de zì kàn bu qīngchu.	I’m a bit nearsighted—I can’t read far-away text clearly.
色盲	sèmáng	colorblind	他是色盲，所以分不太出綠色和紅色。 Tā shì sèmáng, suǒyǐ fēn bú tài chū lǜsè hé hóngsè.	He’s colorblind, so it’s hard for him to tell green and red apart.

Sound Descriptions

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
大聲	dàshēng	loud	外面太大聲了，我睡不著。 Wàimiàn tài dàshēng le, wǒ shuì bù zháo.	It’s too loud outside—I can’t fall asleep.
小聲	xiǎoshēng	quiet (voice)	你可以小聲一點嗎？ Nǐ kěyǐ xiǎoshēng yìdiǎn ma?	Can you speak a little quieter?
吵	chǎo	noisy	這裡很吵，我們換個地方聊。 Zhèlǐ hěn chǎo, wǒmen huàn ge dìfāng liáo.	It’s noisy here—let’s talk somewhere else.
安靜	ānjìng	quiet	晚上這附近很安靜。 Wǎnshàng zhè fùjìn hěn ānjìng.	It’s very quiet around here at night.
清脆	qīngcuì	crisp (sound)	咬下去有清脆的聲音。 Yǎo xiàqù yǒu qīngcuì de shēngyīn.	When you bite it, it makes a crisp sound.
低沉	dīchén	deep / low (voice)	他的聲音很低沉。 Tā de shēngyīn hěn dīchén.	His voice is very deep.
沙啞	shāyǎ	hoarse	我感冒了，聲音有點沙啞。 Wǒ gǎnmào le, shēngyīn yǒudiǎn shāyǎ.	I have a cold—my voice is a bit hoarse.
刺耳	cì’ěr	piercing / harsh (sound)	那個警報聲好刺耳。 Nà ge jǐngbào shēng hǎo cì’ěr.	That alarm sound is so piercing.
悅耳	yuè’ěr	pleasant to hear	這首歌很悅耳，我很喜歡。 Zhè shǒu gē hěn yuè’ěr, wǒ hěn xǐhuān.	This song is pleasant to hear—I like it.

Smell Descriptions

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
味道	wèidào	smell / flavor (depending on context)	這裡有一種奇怪的味道。 Zhèlǐ yǒu yì zhǒng qíguài de wèidào.	There’s a strange smell here.
香	xiāng	fragrant	這杯茶很香，不用加糖。 Zhè bēi chá hěn xiāng, búyòng jiā táng.	This tea is fragrant—no sugar needed.
臭	chòu	stinky	垃圾有點臭，快拿出去。 Lèsè yǒudiǎn chòu, kuài ná chūqù.	The trash smells a bit—take it out.
香味	xiāngwèi	aroma	咖啡的香味讓我醒了。 Kāfēi de xiāngwèi ràng wǒ xǐng le.	The coffee aroma woke me up.
刺鼻	cìbí	pungent (hits the nose)	這個清潔劑味道很刺鼻。 Zhège qīngjiéjì wèidào hěn cìbí.	This cleaner has a very pungent smell.
濃	nóng	strong (smell/flavor)	香水味太濃了，我會頭暈。 Xiāngshuǐ wèi tài nóng le, wǒ huì tóuyūn.	The perfume smell is too strong—it makes me dizzy.
淡	dàn	light / mild (smell/flavor)	這個香味很淡，很舒服。 Zhège xiāngwèi hěn dàn, hěn shūfú.	This scent is light—pleasant.
霉味	méiwèi	musty smell	衣櫃裡有霉味，要通風。 Yīguì lǐ yǒu méiwèi, yào tōngfēng.	The closet smells musty—it needs ventilation.
煙味	yānwèi	smoke smell	他身上有煙味。 Tā shēnshàng yǒu yānwèi.	He smells like smoke.

Taste Descriptions

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
甜	tián	sweet	這個蛋糕太甜了。 Zhège dàngāo tài tián le.	This cake is too sweet.
酸	suān	sour	檸檬很酸，我臉都皺了。 Níngméng hěn suān, wǒ liǎn dōu zhòu le.	Lemons are sour—my face scrunched up.
鹹	xián	salty	湯有點鹹，可以加水嗎？ Tāng yǒudiǎn xián, kěyǐ jiā shuǐ ma?	The soup is a bit salty—can we add water?
苦	kǔ	bitter	黑咖啡很苦，但我習慣了。 Hēi kāfēi hěn kǔ, dàn wǒ xíguàn le.	Black coffee is bitter, but I’m used to it.
辣	là	spicy	這個真的很辣，我一直喝水。 Zhège zhēn de hěn là, wǒ yìzhí hē shuǐ.	This is really spicy—I keep drinking water.
清淡	qīngdàn	light (not oily / not heavily seasoned)	我今天想吃清淡一點。 Wǒ jīntiān xiǎng chī qīngdàn yìdiǎn.	Today I want to eat something lighter.
油膩	yóunì	greasy	這道菜有點油膩，我吃不多。 Zhè dào cài yǒudiǎn yóunì, wǒ chī bù duō.	This dish is a bit greasy—I can’t eat much.
鮮	xiān	fresh / savory (umami-ish)	這個湯很鮮，喝起來很舒服。 Zhège tāng hěn xiān, hē qǐlái hěn shūfú.	This soup tastes savory and fresh—comforting.
腥	xīng	fishy (smell/taste)	魚有點腥，需要加薑。 Yú yǒudiǎn xīng, xūyào jiā jiāng.	The fish is a bit fishy—needs ginger.
澀	sè	astringent (dry/rough mouthfeel)	這杯紅酒有點澀。 Zhè bēi hóngjiǔ yǒudiǎn sè.	This red wine is a bit astringent.

Touch, Texture & Temperature

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
冷	lěng	cold	水太冷了，我手都僵了。 Shuǐ tài lěng le, wǒ shǒu dōu jiāng le.	The water is too cold—my hands feel stiff.
熱	rè	hot	這碗湯很熱，小心燙。 Zhè wǎn tāng hěn rè, xiǎoxīn tàng.	This soup is hot—careful, don’t burn yourself.
溫	wēn	warm (mild)	水溫剛好，洗手很舒服。 Shuǐwēn gānghǎo, xǐshǒu hěn shūfú.	The water temperature is perfect—washing hands feels nice.
乾	gān	dry	冬天皮膚很乾，我要擦乳液。 Dōngtiān pífū hěn gān, wǒ yào cā rǔyè.	My skin gets dry in winter—I need lotion.
濕	shī	wet / humid	今天很濕，衣服不容易乾。 Jīntiān hěn shī, yīfu bù róngyì gān.	It’s very humid today—clothes won’t dry easily.
滑	huá	slippery / smooth	地板很滑，小心走。 Dìbǎn hěn huá, xiǎoxīn zǒu.	The floor is slippery—walk carefully.
粗	cū	rough / coarse	這條毛巾有點粗，擦起來不舒服。 Zhè tiáo máojīn yǒudiǎn cū, cā qǐlái bù shūfú.	This towel is a bit rough—doesn’t feel nice.
軟	ruǎn	soft	麵包很軟，入口就化。 Miànbāo hěn ruǎn, rùkǒu jiù huà.	The bread is soft—melts in your mouth.
硬	yìng	hard	這顆枕頭太硬了，我睡不好。 Zhè kē zhěntou tài yìng le, wǒ shuì bù hǎo.	This pillow is too hard—I can’t sleep well.
黏	nián	sticky	這個糖好黏，牙齒都被黏住。 Zhège táng hǎo nián, yáchǐ dōu bèi nián zhù.	This candy is so sticky—my teeth feel glued.
刺	cì	prickly / scratchy	這件毛衣會刺，我不敢直接穿。 Zhè jiàn máoyī huì cì, wǒ bù gǎn zhíjiē chuān.	This sweater is scratchy—I won’t wear it directly.
癢	yǎng	itchy	我眼睛有點癢，不想一直揉。 Wǒ yǎnjīng yǒudiǎn yǎng, bù xiǎng yìzhí róu.	My eyes feel itchy—I don’t want to keep rubbing them.
麻	má	numb / tingling	吃太辣會讓我嘴唇發麻。 Chī tài là huì ràng wǒ zuǐchún fāmá.	Too spicy food makes my lips go numb.

Body Sensations & “Extra” Senses (Balance, Pain, Internal Signals)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
平衡感	pínghéng gǎn	sense of balance	我沒睡好，平衡感變差了。 Wǒ méi shuì hǎo, pínghéng gǎn biàn chà le.	I didn’t sleep well—my balance feels worse.
頭暈	tóuyūn	dizzy	電梯一下子太快，我有點頭暈。 Diàntī yíxiàzi tài kuài, wǒ yǒudiǎn tóuyūn.	The elevator moved too fast—I feel a bit dizzy.
暈車	yūnchē	carsick	山路太彎，我很容易暈車。 Shānlù tài wān, wǒ hěn róngyì yūnchē.	The mountain road is too winding—I get carsick easily.
疼痛	téngtòng	pain	我的肩膀有疼痛感。 Wǒ de jiānbǎng yǒu téngtòng gǎn.	I have pain in my shoulder.
痛	tòng	painful / hurts	我的牙很痛，得去看牙醫。 Wǒ de yá hěn tòng, děi qù kàn yáyī.	My tooth hurts a lot—I need to see a dentist.
酸	suān	sore / achy (muscles)	我昨天運動太多，腿好酸。 Wǒ zuótiān yùndòng tài duō, tuǐ hǎo suān.	I worked out too much yesterday—my legs are really sore.
脹	zhàng	bloated / swollen feeling	我吃太快，肚子有點脹。 Wǒ chī tài kuài, dùzi yǒudiǎn zhàng.	I ate too fast—my stomach feels a bit bloated.
想吐	xiǎng tù	feel like throwing up	我有點頭暈，還想吐。 Wǒ yǒudiǎn tóuyūn, hái xiǎng tù.	I feel dizzy and kind of nauseous.
口渴	kǒukě	thirsty	我好口渴，想喝水。 Wǒ hǎo kǒukě, xiǎng hē shuǐ.	I’m so thirsty—I want to drink water.
餓	è	hungry	我餓了，我們去吃飯吧。 Wǒ è le, wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.	I’m hungry—let’s go eat.
飽	bǎo	full (not hungry)	我吃飽了，謝謝。 Wǒ chī bǎo le, xièxiè.	I’m full, thanks.
心跳加快	xīntiào jiākuài	heart racing	我跑完步心跳加快，很正常。 Wǒ pǎo wán bù xīntiào jiākuài, hěn zhèngcháng.	After running, my heart races—totally normal.

Common Sense-Related “Problems” (Because Real Life)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
鼻塞	bísè	stuffy nose	我鼻塞，所以聞不太到味道。 Wǒ bísè, suǒyǐ wén bú tài dào wèidào.	My nose is stuffed, so I can’t smell much.
耳鳴	ěrmíng	ringing in the ears	晚上太安靜時，我會聽到耳鳴。 Wǎnshàng tài ānjìng shí, wǒ huì tīngdào ěrmíng.	When it’s too quiet at night, I hear ringing in my ears.
眼睛酸	yǎnjīng suān	eyes feel sore/strained	看太久螢幕，我眼睛酸。 Kàn tài jiǔ yíngmù, wǒ yǎnjīng suān.	After staring at screens too long, my eyes feel strained.
眼花	yǎnhuā	vision goes blurry/dizzy (seeing spots)	我起來太快，突然眼花。 Wǒ qǐlái tài kuài, tūrán yǎnhuā.	I got up too fast and suddenly saw spots.
嗆到	qiàngdào	to choke (on food/drink)	我喝水太急，嗆到了。 Wǒ hē shuǐ tài jí, qiàngdào le.	I drank too fast and choked.
燙	tàng	to burn (hot temperature)	這個很燙，小心拿。 Zhège hěn tàng, xiǎoxīn ná.	This is really hot—handle it carefully.
起雞皮疙瘩	qǐ jīpí gēda	to get goosebumps	他一講鬼故事，我就起雞皮疙瘩。 Tā yì jiǎng guǐ gùshì, wǒ jiù qǐ jīpí gēda.	When he tells ghost stories, I get goosebumps.
發麻	fāmá	to go numb / tingling	我手指一直發麻，可能坐太久了。 Wǒ shǒuzhǐ yìzhí fāmá, kěnéng zuò tài jiǔ le.	My fingers keep tingling—I probably sat too long.

Quick Variants & Synonyms (So You Sound Natural)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
有點	yǒudiǎn	a bit / kind of	這個味道有點重。 Zhège wèidào yǒudiǎn zhòng.	This smell is a bit strong.
太…了	tài… le	too… (emphasis)	這裡太吵了，我想走。 Zhèlǐ tài chǎo le, wǒ xiǎng zǒu.	It’s too noisy here—I want to leave.
聞起來	wén qǐlái	smells like…	這個聞起來像薄荷。 Zhège wén qǐlái xiàng bòhé.	This smells like mint.
吃起來	chī qǐlái	tastes like… (when eating)	這個吃起來很脆。 Zhège chī qǐlái hěn cuì.	This tastes/feels crispy when you eat it.
摸起來	mō qǐlái	feels like… (touch)	這個摸起來像皮革。 Zhège mō qǐlái xiàng pígé.	This feels like leather.
看起來	kàn qǐlái	looks like…	你看起來很累，去休息吧。 Nǐ kàn qǐlái hěn lèi, qù xiūxí ba.	You look tired—go rest.
聽起來	tīng qǐlái	sounds like…	這個理由聽起來合理。 Zhège lǐyóu tīng qǐlái hélǐ.	This reason sounds reasonable.

Yak Snark (endgame)

One day you’ll casually say 「這個聞起來很香，但吃起來有點淡」 and people will assume you’re fluent. Let them. You earned it. (With zero grammar pain. You’re welcome.)