Adverbs don’t grab the spotlight, but they’re the ones telling you how, when, and how often something happens. In Chinese, a well-placed adverb turns a flat statement into a real observation. This list gathers around 500 of the most common Chinese adverbs you’ll actually use-not the dusty ones from a textbook appendix.
Every entry gives you a plain meaning and a natural example sentence so you see exactly how the word behaves in a real Chinese sentence. Audio playback is right there in the table-tap to hear the word and give your ears some practice. When you’re ready to take your study offline, use the free PDF download button that sits below the table.
We built this for learners who want a clean reference. No fluff, no grammar lectures-just the practical words that help you sound more like yourself. Whether you’re describing your morning routine or sharing an opinion, these adverbs will add the texture your Chinese has been missing.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Chinese section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve locked a few of these adverbs into memory? The quick quiz below gives you a friendly nudge-no stress, just a fun way to see which ones stick.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Pinyin | Type | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 够 | gòu | Adverb | enough (sufficient)/enough (too much)/(coll.) (before adj.) really/(coll.) to reach by stretching out | |
| 大力 | dàlì | Adverb | energetically/vigorously | |
| 大多 | dàduō | Adverb | 大多|大多[da4 duo1] | |
| 大大 | dàdà | Adverb | 大大|大大[da4 da4] | |
| 大概 | dàgài | Adverb | roughly/probably/rough/approximate/about/general idea | |
| 大约 | dàyuē | Adverb | approximately/probably | |
| 大致 | dàzhì | Adverb | more or less | |
| 大都 | dàdōu | Adverb | for the most part/on the whole/also pr. [da4 du1] | |
| 天天 | tiāntiān | Adverb | every day | |
| 太 | tài | Adverb | highest/greatest/too (much)/very/extremely | |
| 好 | hǎo | Adverb | good/appropriate | |
| 好像 | hǎoxiàng | Adverb | as if/to seem like | |
| 好在 | hǎozài | Adverb | luckily/fortunately | |
| 好好 | hǎohǎo | Adjective | 好好|好好[hao3 hao3] | |
| 好好/好好儿 | hǎohǎo/hǎohǎor | Adverb | well/carefully/nicely/properly | |
| 如何 | rúhé | Adverb | how/what way/what | |
| 如此 | rúcǐ | Adverb | like this | |
| 始终 | shǐzhōng | Adverb | from beginning to end/all along | |
| 完全 | wánquán | Adverb | complete | |
| 定期 | dìngqí | Adverb | at set dates/at regular intervals/periodic/limited to a fixed period of time/fixed term | |
| 实在 | shízài | Adverb | really/actually/indeed/true/real/honest/dependable/(philosophy) reality | |
| 实地 | shídì | Adverb | on-site | |
| 实际上 | shíjìshàng | Adverb | 實際上|实际上[shi2 ji4 shang4] | |
| 将 | jiāng | Adverb | ) | |
| 将要 | jiāngyào | Adverb | will/shall/to be going to |
Free Simplified Chinese Vocab List and Flashcard PDFs to Download
Use the buttons below to download your free printable vocabulary resources — no signup required.
