Adjectives are the color in your Mandarin sentences – without them, everything’s just ‘good’ or ‘not good’. That gets old fast. This list gathers around 1,000 of the most common Chinese adjectives you’ll actually use, from 大 to 漂亮, so you can describe people, food, places, and moods with precision.
Every entry pairs a clear meaning with a natural example sentence, so you see exactly how the adjective behaves in real Chinese – not a lifeless translation. There’s audio playback right in the table, because your ears need practice just as much as your eyes.
Ready to give your Chinese vocab a little extra sparkle? Scroll to the bottom of this article to find the free downloadable printable Most Common Chinese Adjectives flashcards and the free printable Most Common Chinese Adjectives vocabulary list PDF, both made to help you review with less stress and a lot more confidence.
Want more than one list? Browse our Chinese section for more Yak Yacker study pages, printable lists, and quiz-friendly review material.
Quick Quiz
Think you can match an adjective to its meaning in a flash? Give the quick quiz below a go – no pressure, just a friendly check.
Browse the Full List
| Grammar Word | Pinyin | Function | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 感动 | gǎndòng | Other | to move (sb)/to touch (sb emotionally)/moving | |
| 感性 | gǎnxìng | Other | perception/perceptual/sensibility/sensitive/emotional/sentimental | |
| 感恩 | gǎn'ēn | Other | to be grateful | |
| 愤怒 | fènnù | Other | angry/indignant/wrath/ire | |
| 慈善 | císhàn | Other | benevolent/charitable | |
| 慌 | huāng | Other | to get panicky/to lose one's head/(coll.) (after 得) unbearably/terribly | |
| 慌张 | huāngzhāng | Other | flustered/agitated | |
| 慎重 | shènzhòng | Other | cautious/careful/prudent | |
| 慢 | màn | Other | slow | |
| 慷慨 | kāngkǎi | Other | vehement | |
| 懂事 | dǒngshì | Other | to grow beyond the naivete of childhood | |
| 懊恼 | àonǎo | Other | annoyed/vexed/upset | |
| 懒 | lǎn | Other | lazy | |
| 懒惰 | lǎnduò | Other | idle/lazy | |
| 懒散 | lǎnsǎn | Other | indolent | |
| 懦弱 | nuòruò | Other | cowardly/weak | |
| 成功 | chénggōng | Other | ,個|个[ge4] | |
| 成熟 | chéngshóu | Other | mature | |
| 成长 | chéngzhǎng | Other | to mature/to grow/growth | |
| 扁 | biǎn | Other | flat/(coll.) to beat (sb) up/old variant of 匾[bian3] | |
| 打开 dǎkāi | to open, to turn on | Other | 打开电脑吧。Dǎkāi diànnǎo ba. | |
| 打电话 dǎ diànhuà | to make a phone call | Other | 我晚点给你打电话。Wǒ wǎndiǎn gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà. | |
| 扩散 | kuòsàn | Other | to spread | |
| 找 zhǎo | to look for | Other | 我在找钥匙。Wǒ zài zhǎo yàoshi. | |
| 投入 | tóurù | Other | to throw into/to put into/to throw oneself into/to participate in/to invest in/absorbed/engrossed |
Free Most Common Chinese Adjectives PDF and Flashcards to Download
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