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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 去 qù | to go | Other | 我们明天去北京。Wǒmen míngtiān qù Běijīng. | |
| 友好 | yǒuhǎo | Other | friendly | |
| 发育 | fāyù | Other | to develop/to mature/growth/development/(sexually) mature | |
| 发达 | fādá | Other | well-developed | |
| 取材 | qǔcái | Other | to collect material | |
| 变化 | biànhuà | Other | (intransitive) to change | |
| 变迁 | biànqiān | Other | changes/vicissitudes | |
| 古典 | gǔdiǎn | Other | classical | |
| 古怪 | gǔguài | Other | strange/weird/eccentric/bizarre | |
| 古老 | gǔlǎo | Other | ancient/old/age-old | |
| 可喜 | kěxǐ | Other | making one happy/gratifying/heartening | |
| 可怕 | kěpà | Other | awful/dreadful/fearful/formidable/frightful/scary/hideous/horrible/terrible/terribly | |
| 可怜 | kělián | Other | pitiful/pathetic/to have pity on | |
| 可恶 | kěwù | Other | repulsive/vile/hateful/abominable | |
| 可惜 | kěxí | Other | it is a pity/what a pity/unfortunately | |
| 可爱 | kě'ài | Other | adorable/cute/lovely | |
| 可笑 | kěxiào | Other | funny/ridiculous | |
| 可行 | kěxíng | Other | feasible | |
| 可观 | kěguān | Other | considerable/impressive/significant | |
| 可靠 | kěkào | Other | reliable | |
| 吃 chī | to eat | Other | 他在吃面。Tā zài chī miàn. | |
| 吃亏 | chīkuī | Other | to suffer losses/to come to grief/to lose out/to get the worst of it/to be at a disadvantage/unfortunately | |
| 吃力 | chīlì | Other | to entail strenuous effort/to toil at a task/strenuous/laborious/strain | |
| 吃惊 | chījīng | Other | to be startled/to be shocked/to be amazed | |
| 吃苦 | chīkǔ | Other | to bear hardships |
Free Most Common Chinese Adjectives PDF and Flashcards to Download
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