Traditional Chinese Feelings Vocabulary: 90+ Words, Phrases, and Patterns

Learn emotions you can actually use: 繁體中文 characters, pinyin, clear meanings, and real-life examples you can copy. Topic title: 情緒與感受詞彙

Audio buttons speak Hanzi Soft + strong ways to say it Patterns for real conversations

This list gives you feelings in Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) with pinyin (tone marks), simple English meanings, and example sentences in Chinese plus the pinyin and translation.

Tap the 🔊 buttons to hear the Hanzi out loud. Then steal the sentence patterns and sound like a normal human, not a menu translation.

Yak Snark

English lets you say “I’m fine” while being clearly not fine. Chinese can do that too. You just need the right combo: 我有點… (soft), 我超… (strong), and 我需要冷靜一下 (please don’t talk to me for 30 seconds).

Section 1: High-Utility Feelings Visual Cards

These 8 cover a huge chunk of daily life. Learn them first, then expand with the tables below.

開心

kāi xīn

happy, glad

我今天很開心，因為放假。

Wǒ jīntiān hěn kāi xīn, yīnwèi fàngjià.

I’m happy today because it’s a day off.

難過

nán guò

sad, upset

聽到你生病，我很難過。

Tīngdào nǐ shēngbìng, wǒ hěn nán guò.

I’m sad to hear you’re sick.

生氣

shēng qì

angry

別一直插話，我會生氣。

Bié yìzhí chāhuà, wǒ huì shēng qì.

Don’t keep interrupting, I’ll get angry.

緊張

jǐn zhāng

nervous, tense

面試前我很緊張。

Miànshì qián wǒ hěn jǐn zhāng.

I’m nervous before the interview.

興奮

xīng fèn

excited

要去旅行了，我好興奮！

Yào qù lǚxíng le, wǒ hǎo xīng fèn!

We’re going traveling—I’m so excited!

焦慮

jiāo lǜ

anxious

事情沒結果，我會焦慮。

Shìqíng méi jiéguǒ, wǒ huì jiāo lǜ.

If there’s no outcome, I get anxious.

放鬆

fàng sōng

relaxed, to relax

週末我想在家放鬆。

Zhōumò wǒ xiǎng zài jiā fàng sōng.

On weekends I want to relax at home.

累

lèi

tired

我昨天沒睡好，今天很累。

Wǒ zuótiān méi shuì hǎo, jīntiān hěn lèi.

I didn’t sleep well yesterday, so I’m tired today.

Section 1.01: Common Patterns to Express Feelings

These are the “glue” sentences that make your feelings sound natural. Mix and match.

我覺得…

wǒ jué de…

I feel / I think… (super common, safe default)

我覺得有點累。

Wǒ jué de yǒu diǎn lèi.

I feel a bit tired.

我感覺…

wǒ gǎn jué…

I feel… (often “a sensation,” but also emotions)

我感覺怪怪的。

Wǒ gǎn jué guài guài de.

I feel weird / off.

我現在很…

wǒ xiàn zài hěn…

Right now I’m really…

我現在很緊張。

Wǒ xiàn zài hěn jǐn zhāng.

I’m really nervous right now.

我有點…

wǒ yǒu diǎn…

I’m a bit… (softens the feeling)

我有點焦慮。

Wǒ yǒu diǎn jiāo lǜ.

I’m a little anxious.

我超…

wǒ chāo…

I’m super… (casual, strong)

我超開心！

Wǒ chāo kāi xīn!

I’m super happy!

我沒那麼…了

wǒ méi nà me… le

I’m not that … anymore

我沒那麼生氣了。

Wǒ méi nà me shēng qì le.

I’m not that angry anymore.

我快要…了

wǒ kuài yào… le

I’m about to… (dramatic, useful)

我快要崩潰了。

Wǒ kuài yào bēng kuì le.

I’m about to break down.

讓我很…

ràng wǒ hěn…

It makes me feel…

你這樣說讓我很感動。

Nǐ zhè yàng shuō ràng wǒ hěn gǎn dòng.

What you said really moved me.

你讓我很…

nǐ ràng wǒ hěn…

You make me feel…

你在我旁邊，我很安心。

Nǐ zài wǒ páng biān, wǒ hěn ān xīn.

With you next to me, I feel at ease.

我被…搞得…

wǒ bèi… gǎo de…

I got … because of … (very natural)

我被工作搞得很累。

Wǒ bèi gōng zuò gǎo de hěn lèi.

Work has made me exhausted.

我受不了了

wǒ shòu bù liǎo le

I can’t take it anymore

這個噪音我受不了了。

Zhè ge zào yīn wǒ shòu bù liǎo le.

I can’t take this noise anymore.

我需要冷靜一下

wǒ xū yào lěng jìng yí xià

I need to calm down for a moment

我需要冷靜一下再回訊息。

Wǒ xū yào lěng jìng yí xià zài huí xùn xí.

I need to calm down before replying.

我想放空一下

wǒ xiǎng fàng kōng yí xià

I want to zone out for a bit

我想放空一下，晚點再聊。

Wǒ xiǎng fàng kōng yí xià, wǎn diǎn zài liáo.

I want to zone out a bit—let’s talk later.

先別擔心

xiān bié dān xīn

Don’t worry yet

先別擔心，我們還有時間。

Xiān bié dān xīn, wǒ men hái yǒu shí jiān.

Don’t worry yet—we still have time.

你還好嗎？

nǐ hái hǎo ma

Are you okay?

你還好嗎？看起來很累。

Nǐ hái hǎo ma? Kàn qǐ lái hěn lèi.

Are you okay? You look tired.

我替你感到…

wǒ tì nǐ gǎn dào…

I feel … for you (happy, sad, proud, etc.)

我替你感到開心！

Wǒ tì nǐ gǎn dào kāi xīn!

I’m happy for you!

我懂你的感受

wǒ dǒng nǐ de gǎn shòu

I get how you feel

我懂你的感受，真的不容易。

Wǒ dǒng nǐ de gǎn shòu, zhēn de bù róng yì.

I get how you feel—it’s really not easy.

我真的很感謝你

wǒ zhēn de hěn gǎn xiè nǐ

I’m really grateful to you

我真的很感謝你今天陪我。

Wǒ zhēn de hěn gǎn xiè nǐ jīn tiān péi wǒ.

I’m really grateful you stayed with me today.

Section 1.1: The Helpful Difference Between 覺得, 感覺, 心情, 情緒

覺得 (jué de) is the all-purpose “I think / I feel” that works almost everywhere. 感覺 (gǎn jué) often leans toward a “sensation” (but still fine for emotions). 心情 (xīn qíng) is your overall mood (“my mood today”). 情緒 (qíng xù) is more like “emotions” as a state, sometimes a bit more formal.

Big tip: In Chinese, 很 often sounds natural and doesn’t always mean “VERY.” 我很開心 is usually just “I’m happy,” not “I’m extremely happy.” If you want to go extra, that’s what 超 is for.

Section 2: Feelings Words Table

Grouped so you can find what you need fast. Every row has an example sentence you can steal.

Positive and Warm Feelings

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation
高興	gāo xìng	happy, pleased	聽到你來了，我很高興。 Tīng dào nǐ lái le, wǒ hěn gāo xìng.	I’m happy to hear you came.
快樂	kuài lè	joyful, happy	跟朋友聊天讓我很快樂。 Gēn péng yǒu liáo tiān ràng wǒ hěn kuài lè.	Chatting with friends makes me happy.
幸福	xìng fú	blessed, happy in life	有家人在身邊，我覺得很幸福。 Yǒu jiā rén zài shēn biān, wǒ jué de hěn xìng fú.	With family around, I feel truly happy.
滿足	mǎn zú	satisfied	吃完熱湯，我好滿足。 Chī wán rè tāng, wǒ hǎo mǎn zú.	After that hot soup, I feel so satisfied.
感謝	gǎn xiè	to appreciate, to thank	謝謝你的幫忙，我很感謝。 Xiè xiè nǐ de bāng máng, wǒ hěn gǎn xiè.	Thanks for your help—I really appreciate it.
感激	gǎn jī	deeply grateful	我真的很感激你昨天救場。 Wǒ zhēn de hěn gǎn jī nǐ zuó tiān jiù chǎng.	I’m truly grateful you saved the situation yesterday.
感動	gǎn dòng	moved, touched	你的話讓我很感動。 Nǐ de huà ràng wǒ hěn gǎn dòng.	Your words really touched me.
期待	qī dài	to look forward to	我很期待週末的旅行。 Wǒ hěn qī dài zhōu mò de lǚ xíng.	I’m really looking forward to the weekend trip.
安心	ān xīn	at ease, reassured	看到你平安回家，我就安心了。 Kàn dào nǐ píng ān huí jiā, wǒ jiù ān xīn le.	Seeing you get home safely reassured me.
踏實	tà shí	grounded, secure	事情安排好之後，我比較踏實。 Shì qíng ān pái hǎo zhī hòu, wǒ bǐ jiào tà shí.	After things are arranged, I feel more secure.
放下心	fàng xià xīn	to feel relieved	你說沒事，我終於放下心。 Nǐ shuō méi shì, wǒ zhōng yú fàng xià xīn.	You said it’s fine, so I finally feel relieved.
鬆一口氣	sōng yì kǒu qì	to breathe a sigh of relief	聽到通過了，我鬆了一口氣。 Tīng dào tōng guò le, wǒ sōng le yì kǒu qì.	Hearing we passed, I sighed with relief.
想念	xiǎng niàn	to miss someone	我很想念以前的同學。 Wǒ hěn xiǎng niàn yǐ qián de tóng xué.	I really miss my old classmates.

Sad, Low, and Heavy Feelings

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation
傷心	shāng xīn	heartbroken, sad	他沒來，我有點傷心。 Tā méi lái, wǒ yǒu diǎn shāng xīn.	He didn’t come, and I’m a bit sad.
失望	shī wàng	disappointed	結果跟想的不一樣，我很失望。 Jié guǒ gēn xiǎng de bù yí yàng, wǒ hěn shī wàng.	The result wasn’t what I hoped for, so I’m disappointed.
沮喪	jǔ sàng	frustrated, depressed (mood)	一直失敗真的很沮喪。 Yì zhí shī bài zhēn de hěn jǔ sàng.	Failing again and again is really discouraging.
委屈	wěi qū	wronged, upset because it’s unfair	我明明沒做錯，卻被罵，很委屈。 Wǒ míng míng méi zuò cuò, què bèi mà, hěn wěi qū.	I clearly didn’t do anything wrong, but got scolded—so unfair.
心酸	xīn suān	heartache, bittersweet sadness	聽到她的故事，我覺得很心酸。 Tīng dào tā de gù shì, wǒ jué de hěn xīn suān.	Her story makes my heart ache.
難受	nán shòu	to feel awful, uncomfortable (emotionally)	分手後我很難受。 Fēn shǒu hòu wǒ hěn nán shòu.	After the breakup, I feel awful.
痛苦	tòng kǔ	painful, suffering	等結果的那幾天很痛苦。 Děng jié guǒ de nà jǐ tiān hěn tòng kǔ.	Those days waiting for the result were painful.
空虛	kōng xū	empty inside	忙完之後反而覺得很空虛。 Máng wán zhī hòu fǎn ér jué de hěn kōng xū.	After being busy, I oddly feel empty.
孤單	gū dān	lonely (being alone)	一個人在外地會覺得孤單。 Yí ge rén zài wài dì huì jué de gū dān.	Being away by yourself can feel lonely.
寂寞	jì mò	lonely (emotional loneliness)	下雨的晚上特別寂寞。 Xià yǔ de wǎn shàng tè bié jì mò.	Rainy nights feel especially lonely.
憂鬱	yōu yù	gloomy, down	最近天氣灰灰的，我有點憂鬱。 Zuì jìn tiān qì huī huī de, wǒ yǒu diǎn yōu yù.	The weather’s been so gray lately; I feel a bit down.
脆弱	cuì ruò	vulnerable	我累的時候特別脆弱。 Wǒ lèi de shí hòu tè bié cuì ruò.	When I’m tired, I feel especially vulnerable.
無助	wú zhù	helpless	手機沒電又迷路，我好無助。 Shǒu jī méi diàn yòu mí lù, wǒ hǎo wú zhù.	My phone died and I got lost—I felt helpless.

Anger, Annoyance, and Being Done With It

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation
火大	huǒ dà	furious (casual)	他又遲到，我超火大。 Tā yòu chí dào, wǒ chāo huǒ dà.	He’s late again—I’m pissed.
不爽	bù shuǎng	annoyed, not happy about it	被插隊真的很不爽。 Bèi chā duì zhēn de hěn bù shuǎng.	Getting cut in line is really annoying.
煩	fán	fed up, bothered	事情一堆，我好煩。 Shì qíng yì duī, wǒ hǎo fán.	So many things to do—I’m fed up.
煩躁	fán zào	irritable, restless	天氣悶熱讓人很煩躁。 Tiān qì mēn rè ràng rén hěn fán zào.	The humid heat makes people irritable.
厭煩	yàn fán	tired of it, annoyed	重複解釋同一件事有點厭煩。 Chóng fù jiě shì tóng yí jiàn shì yǒu diǎn yàn fán.	Explaining the same thing repeatedly is getting annoying.
不耐煩	bù nài fán	impatient	你別催我，我會不耐煩。 Nǐ bié cuī wǒ, wǒ huì bù nài fán.	Don’t rush me—I’ll get impatient.
抓狂	zhuā kuáng	to freak out	網路一直斷線，我快抓狂了。 Wǎng lù yì zhí duàn xiàn, wǒ kuài zhuā kuáng le.	The internet keeps cutting out—I’m freaking out.
崩潰	bēng kuì	to break down	文件沒存就關掉，我整個崩潰。 Wén jiàn méi cún jiù guān diào, wǒ zhěng ge bēng kuì.	I closed the file without saving—I totally lost it.
受不了	shòu bù liǎo	can’t stand it	這個味道我受不了。 Zhè ge wèi dào wǒ shòu bù liǎo.	I can’t stand this smell.
被惹毛	bèi rě máo	to be provoked, to get pissed	他一直挑釁，我被惹毛了。 Tā yì zhí tiāo xìn, wǒ bèi rě máo le.	He kept provoking me, and I got pissed.
生悶氣	shēng mèn qì	to sulk (angry but silent)	你不說話，只會讓我生悶氣。 Nǐ bù shuō huà, zhǐ huì ràng wǒ shēng mèn qì.	If you won’t talk, I’ll just end up sulking.
討厭	tǎo yàn	to dislike, hate	我討厭被人指揮。 Wǒ tǎo yàn bèi rén zhǐ huī.	I hate being bossed around.
嫉妒	jí dù	jealous	看到他升職，我有點嫉妒。 Kàn dào tā shēng zhí, wǒ yǒu diǎn jí dù.	Seeing him get promoted, I feel a bit jealous.

Anxiety, Stress, and Energy Levels

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation
壓力	yā lì	pressure, stress	最近工作壓力很大。 Zuì jìn gōng zuò yā lì hěn dà.	Work stress has been heavy lately.
壓力大	yā lì dà	under a lot of pressure	這週壓力大，我需要休息。 Zhè zhōu yā lì dà, wǒ xū yào xiū xī.	This week is stressful—I need rest.
緊繃	jǐn bēng	tense (atmosphere or body)	大家都很緊繃，氣氛怪怪的。 Dà jiā dōu hěn jǐn bēng, qì fēn guài guài de.	Everyone’s tense—the vibe is weird.
焦躁	jiāo zào	restless, anxious	等不到回覆，我開始焦躁。 Děng bù dào huí fù, wǒ kāi shǐ jiāo zào.	I couldn’t get a reply, so I got restless.
不安	bù ān	uneasy	事情沒確定，我心裡不安。 Shì qíng méi què dìng, wǒ xīn lǐ bù ān.	Nothing’s confirmed, so I feel uneasy.
恐慌	kǒng huāng	panic	想到要上台，我有點恐慌。 Xiǎng dào yào shàng tái, wǒ yǒu diǎn kǒng huāng.	Thinking about going on stage makes me panic a bit.
害怕	hài pà	afraid	我害怕黑暗。 Wǒ hài pà hēi àn.	I’m afraid of the dark.
擔心	dān xīn	worried	我擔心你太累。 Wǒ dān xīn nǐ tài lèi.	I’m worried you’re too tired.
慌張	huāng zhāng	flustered, panicky	找不到護照，我很慌張。 Zhǎo bù dào hù zhào, wǒ hěn huāng zhāng.	I couldn’t find my passport, and I panicked.
疲憊	pí bèi	exhausted	加班後我很疲憊。 Jiā bān hòu wǒ hěn pí bèi.	After overtime, I’m exhausted.
精疲力盡	jīng pí lì jìn	completely worn out	跑完馬拉松，我精疲力盡。 Pǎo wán mǎ lā sōng, wǒ jīng pí lì jìn.	After the marathon, I was completely drained.
沒力氣	méi lì qì	no energy	今天沒睡好，整天沒力氣。 Jīn tiān méi shuì hǎo, zhěng tiān méi lì qì.	I didn’t sleep well, so I have no energy all day.
有精神	yǒu jīng shén	energetic	喝了咖啡，我比較有精神。 Hē le kā fēi, wǒ bǐ jiào yǒu jīng shén.	After coffee, I feel more energetic.

Reactions, Awkwardness, and Calm

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation
驚訝	jīng yà	surprised	聽到這個消息我很驚訝。 Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xī wǒ hěn jīng yà.	I was surprised to hear the news.
震驚	zhèn jīng	shocked	看到那張照片我很震驚。 Kàn dào nà zhāng zhào piàn wǒ hěn zhèn jīng.	That photo really shocked me.
傻眼	shǎ yǎn	stunned, speechless (casual)	他居然忘了我的生日，我超傻眼。 Tā jū rán wàng le wǒ de shēng rì, wǒ chāo shǎ yǎn.	He actually forgot my birthday—I’m speechless.
尷尬	gān gà	awkward, embarrassed	剛剛叫錯名字好尷尬。 Gāng gāng jiào cuò míng zì hǎo gān gà.	Calling the wrong name just now was so awkward.
害羞	hài xiū	shy	被稱讚時我會害羞。 Bèi chēng zàn shí wǒ huì hài xiū.	When I’m praised, I get shy.
不好意思	bù hǎo yì si	excuse me / embarrassed / sorry (polite)	借過一下，不好意思。 Jiè guò yí xià, bù hǎo yì si.	Excuse me (coming through), sorry.
困惑	kùn huò	confused	這題我看了還是很困惑。 Zhè tí wǒ kàn le hái shì hěn kùn huò.	I still feel confused after looking at this question.
好奇	hào qí	curious	我很好奇你怎麼做到的。 Wǒ hěn hào qí nǐ zěn me zuò dào de.	I’m curious how you did that.
無奈	wú nài	helpless, resigned	雨一直下，我也很無奈。 Yǔ yì zhí xià, wǒ yě hěn wú nài.	The rain won’t stop—what can you do.
冷靜	lěng jìng	calm	先冷靜一下再說。 Xiān lěng jìng yí xià zài shuō.	Let’s calm down first, then talk.
平靜	píng jìng	peaceful, calm	聽海浪聲讓我很平靜。 Tīng hǎi làng shēng ràng wǒ hěn píng jìng.	Listening to the waves makes me feel peaceful.
淡定	dàn dìng	calm and composed	他遇到問題還是很淡定。 Tā yù dào wèn tí hái shì hěn dàn dìng.	Even with problems, he stays composed.

Section 3: Quick Variants to Sound Natural

Same feeling, different intensity. These tiny words do a lot of work.

Use	Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Mini Example (ZH + Pinyin)	Translation
Default (often not “very”)	很	hěn	neutral “is/feels” marker	我很開心。 Wǒ hěn kāi xīn.	I’m happy.
Casual strong	超	chāo	super	我超累。 Wǒ chāo lèi.	I’m super tired.
Softening	有點	yǒu diǎn	a bit	我有點緊張。 Wǒ yǒu diǎn jǐn zhāng.	I’m a bit nervous.
Soft negative	不太	bù tài	not really / not very	我不太開心。 Wǒ bù tài kāi xīn.	I’m not really happy.
Pretty / quite	蠻	mán	quite, pretty	我蠻放鬆的。 Wǒ mán fàng sōng de.	I’m pretty relaxed.
Quite / rather	挺	tǐng	quite, fairly	我挺期待的。 Wǒ tǐng qī dài de.	I’m quite looking forward to it.
Taiwan casual “so”	有夠	yǒu gòu	so / seriously (slang)	今天有夠冷，我快凍住。 Jīn tiān yǒu gòu lěng, wǒ kuài dòng zhù.	It’s so cold today—I’m freezing.
Not at all	一點也不	yì diǎn yě bù	not… at all	我一點也不緊張。 Wǒ yì diǎn yě bù jǐn zhāng.	I’m not nervous at all.
Emphasis	真的	zhēn de	really, genuinely	我真的很感謝你。 Wǒ zhēn de hěn gǎn xiè nǐ.	I’m truly grateful to you.

Yak Snark

If you only remember one “human” pattern, remember this: 我有點… + feeling. It makes you sound polite, honest, and less like you’re declaring a dramatic public statement. Save 我超火大 for when it’s truly deserved.