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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 谦逊 | qiānxùn | Other | humble/modest/unpretentious/modesty | |
| 谨慎 | jǐnshèn | Other | cautious/prudent | |
| 豁达 | huòdá | Other | optimistic/sanguine/generous/magnanimous/open-minded | |
| 负责 | fùzé | Other | to be responsible for | |
| 贪 | tān | Other | to have a voracious desire for/to covet/greedy/corrupt | |
| 贪心 | tānxīn | Other | greedy | |
| 贫穷/贫 | pínqióng/pín | Other | poor/inadequate/deficient/garrulous | |
| 贫苦 | pínkǔ | Other | poverty-stricken/poor | |
| 贴心 | tiēxīn | Other | intimate/close/considerate | |
| 贵 | guì | Other | expensive/noble/precious/(honorific) your | |
| 费力 | fèilì | Other | to expend a great deal of effort | |
| 走 zǒu | to walk, to leave | Other | 我们现在走吧。Wǒmen xiànzài zǒu ba. | |
| 赶 | gǎn | Other | to overtake | |
| 起床 qǐchuáng | to get up | Other | 我每天六点起床。Wǒ měitiān liù diǎn qǐchuáng. | |
| 足 | zú | Other | (bound form) foot | |
| 足够 | zúgòu | Other | enough | |
| 跑 pǎo | to run | Other | 他每天早上跑步。Tā měitiān zǎoshang pǎobù. | |
| 踏实 | tàshí | Other | firmly-based/steady/steadfast/to have peace of mind/free from anxiety/Taiwan pr. [ta4 shi2] | |
| 软 | ruǎn | Other | soft/flexible | |
| 软弱 | ruǎnruò | Other | weak/feeble/flabby | |
| 轰动 | hōngdòng | Other | to cause a sensation/to create a stir in (a place)/commotion/controversy | |
| 轰轰烈烈 | hōnghōnglièliè | Other | strong/vigorous/large-scale | |
| 轻 | qīng | Other | light/easy/gentle/soft/reckless/unimportant/frivolous/small in number/unstressed/neutral/to disparage | |
| 轻松 | qīngsōng | Other | light/gentle/relaxed/effortless/uncomplicated/to relax/to take things less seriously | |
| 轻蔑 | qīngmiè | Other | scornful |
Free Most Common Chinese Adjectives PDF and Flashcards to Download
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