形容詞 xíngróngcí means “adjectives,” and yes, Mandarin uses them a little differently from English. Not wildly differently. Just differently enough to make your brain ask for a snack.
This guide gives you 120+ useful Traditional Chinese adjectives with pinyin, clear English meanings, and real example sentences. By the end, you will be able to describe food, people, weather, places, feelings, prices, and everyday objects without saying 好 hǎo for absolutely everything.
A noble goal.
If you are building your foundation, keep this guide near the main Learn Traditional Chinese hub, the Traditional Chinese vocabulary page, and the Traditional Chinese grammar guide. Adjectives are vocabulary and grammar at the same time, because Mandarin likes efficiency.
The Tiny Grammar Bit: 形容詞 xíngróngcí
In Mandarin, adjectives can act a lot like verbs. Instead of saying “is good,” Chinese often just says “good” with a degree word like 很 hěn.
Important beginner note: 很 hěn often simply connects the subject and adjective. It does not always mean “very.” Mandarin learners everywhere are relieved, then immediately suspicious.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noun + 很 + adjective | Something is adjective | 這杯咖啡很熱。 | Zhè bēi kāfēi hěn rè. | This cup of coffee is hot. |
| 不 + adjective | Not adjective | 這件衣服不貴。 | Zhè jiàn yīfú bú guì. | This piece of clothing is not expensive. |
| Adjective + 的 + noun | Adjective noun | 漂亮的房子 | piàoliang de fángzi | a beautiful house |
| 太 + adjective + 了 | Too / so adjective | 今天太冷了。 | Jīntiān tài lěng le. | Today is too cold. |
Yak wisdom: In Mandarin, 很 hěn is often less “very” and more “please let this sentence sound normal.”
Core Everyday Adjectives
Start here. These are the adjectives that appear everywhere: cafés, classrooms, apartments, apps, awkward small talk, and family opinions nobody asked for.
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example | Example Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 好 | hǎo | good | 這個方法很好。 | Zhè ge fāngfǎ hěn hǎo. | This method is good. |
| 壞 | huài | bad; broken | 我的手機壞了。 | Wǒ de shǒujī huài le. | My phone is broken. |
| 新 | xīn | new | 這是我的新包包。 | Zhè shì wǒ de xīn bāobāo. | This is my new bag. |
| 舊 | jiù | old; used | 這台車很舊。 | Zhè tái chē hěn jiù. | This vehicle is old. |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | beautiful; pretty | 台北的夜景很漂亮。 | Táiběi de yèjǐng hěn piàoliang. | Taipei’s night view is beautiful. |
| 可愛 | kě’ài | cute | 那隻狗很可愛。 | Nà zhī gǒu hěn kě’ài. | That dog is cute. |
| 醜 | chǒu | ugly | 這張照片不醜。 | Zhè zhāng zhàopiàn bù chǒu. | This photo is not ugly. |
| 乾淨 | gānjìng | clean | 這間廁所很乾淨。 | Zhè jiān cèsuǒ hěn gānjìng. | This bathroom is clean. |
| 髒 | zāng | dirty | 我的鞋子很髒。 | Wǒ de xiézi hěn zāng. | My shoes are dirty. |
| 容易 | róngyì | easy | 這題很容易。 | Zhè tí hěn róngyì. | This question is easy. |
| 難 | nán | difficult | 中文發音有一點難。 | Zhōngwén fāyīn yǒu yìdiǎn nán. | Chinese pronunciation is a little difficult. |
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important | 睡覺很重要。 | Shuìjiào hěn zhòngyào. | Sleeping is important. |
| 普通 | pǔtōng | ordinary; average | 這家店的咖啡很普通。 | Zhè jiā diàn de kāfēi hěn pǔtōng. | This shop’s coffee is average. |
| 特別 | tèbié | special | 這個味道很特別。 | Zhè ge wèidào hěn tèbié. | This flavor is special. |
| 奇怪 | qíguài | strange | 這個聲音很奇怪。 | Zhè ge shēngyīn hěn qíguài. | This sound is strange. |
| 有趣 | yǒuqù | interesting; fun | 這本書很有趣。 | Zhè běn shū hěn yǒuqù. | This book is interesting. |
| 無聊 | wúliáo | boring | 這部電影有點無聊。 | Zhè bù diànyǐng yǒudiǎn wúliáo. | This movie is a little boring. |
| 清楚 | qīngchǔ | clear | 你的說明很清楚。 | Nǐ de shuōmíng hěn qīngchǔ. | Your explanation is clear. |
Size, Amount, And Shape Adjectives
These words help you describe objects, rooms, portions, crowds, bags, shoes, and all the tiny apartments people pretend are “cozy.”
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example | Example Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 大 | dà | big | 這間房間很大。 | Zhè jiān fángjiān hěn dà. | This room is big. |
| 小 | xiǎo | small | 這杯飲料太小了。 | Zhè bēi yǐnliào tài xiǎo le. | This drink is too small. |
| 高 | gāo | tall; high | 他很高。 | Tā hěn gāo. | He is tall. |
| 矮 | ǎi | short in height | 這張桌子很矮。 | Zhè zhāng zhuōzi hěn ǎi. | This table is low. |
| 長 | cháng | long | 這條路很長。 | Zhè tiáo lù hěn cháng. | This road is long. |
| 短 | duǎn | short in length | 這件裙子很短。 | Zhè jiàn qúnzi hěn duǎn. | This skirt is short. |
| 寬 | kuān | wide | 這條路很寬。 | Zhè tiáo lù hěn kuān. | This road is wide. |
| 窄 | zhǎi | narrow | 這條巷子很窄。 | Zhè tiáo xiàngzi hěn zhǎi. | This alley is narrow. |
| 厚 | hòu | thick | 這本書很厚。 | Zhè běn shū hěn hòu. | This book is thick. |
| 薄 | báo | thin | 這件外套很薄。 | Zhè jiàn wàitào hěn báo. | This jacket is thin. |
| 重 | zhòng | heavy | 我的背包很重。 | Wǒ de bēibāo hěn zhòng. | My backpack is heavy. |
| 輕 | qīng | light in weight | 這台筆電很輕。 | Zhè tái bǐdiàn hěn qīng. | This laptop is light. |
| 多 | duō | many; much | 夜市的人很多。 | Yèshì de rén hěn duō. | There are many people at the night market. |
| 少 | shǎo | few; little | 今天的客人很少。 | Jīntiān de kèrén hěn shǎo. | There are few customers today. |
| 滿 | mǎn | full | 這班捷運很滿。 | Zhè bān jiéyùn hěn mǎn. | This MRT train is full. |
| 空 | kōng | empty | 這個位子是空的。 | Zhè ge wèizi shì kōng de. | This seat is empty. |
| 圓 | yuán | round | 這張桌子是圓的。 | Zhè zhāng zhuōzi shì yuán de. | This table is round. |
| 直 | zhí | straight | 這條路很直。 | Zhè tiáo lù hěn zhí. | This road is straight. |
People And Personality Adjectives
Use these carefully. Calling someone 可愛 kě’ài is usually safe. Calling someone 懶 lǎn is best saved for yourself, your cat, or your alarm clock.
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example | Example Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 聰明 | cōngmíng | smart | 她很聰明。 | Tā hěn cōngmíng. | She is smart. |
| 笨 | bèn | stupid; clumsy | 我今天有點笨。 | Wǒ jīntiān yǒudiǎn bèn. | I am a little clumsy today. |
| 認真 | rènzhēn | serious; hardworking | 他工作很認真。 | Tā gōngzuò hěn rènzhēn. | He is serious about work. |
| 懶 | lǎn | lazy | 週末我很懶。 | Zhōumò wǒ hěn lǎn. | I am lazy on weekends. |
| 勤勞 | qínláo | diligent | 我媽媽很勤勞。 | Wǒ māma hěn qínláo. | My mom is diligent. |
| 熱情 | rèqíng | warm; enthusiastic | 台灣人很熱情。 | Táiwān rén hěn rèqíng. | Taiwanese people are warm. |
| 冷淡 | lěngdàn | cold; distant | 他的回答有點冷淡。 | Tā de huídá yǒudiǎn lěngdàn. | His answer was a little |
