Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 漂亮 | piàoliang |
| 美 | měi |
| 好看 | hǎokàn |
| 美麗 / 美丽 | měilì |
These terms are used to describe something attractive or visually pleasing. 漂亮 is frequently used to describe a person's outward appearance, such as a woman's face or clothing. It can also be used metaphorically to mean 'splendid' or 'well done' when describing an action or a performance.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the context and level of abstraction. 美 is more abstract and literary, often used for scenery, art or profound beauty. In contrast, 漂亮 is more commonly used for physical appearance or objects. 好看 is a more colloquial and common way to say something is good-looking or visually pleasing compared to the more formal 漂亮.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using these adjectives in a simple declarative sentence like 'She is beautiful', you should use 很 (hěn) before the adjective instead of the verb 'to be' (是). To create an emphatic form meaning 'extremely beautiful', you can add 極了 (jí le) after 美 to get 美極了.
How do you pronounce it?
piàoliang
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, instead of saying 你很美, one might say 你看起来很有气质 to indirectly praise beauty by saying 'You look very charismatic'.
Did you know?
- The character 美 is also the single character used to represent the 'United States' 美国 in Mandarin, literally meaning 'Beautiful Country'.
- The character for 'beautiful', 美, was originally a pictogram of a person wearing a decorated headdress made of ram's horns or feathers.
- In Mandarin, the word 好看 is used for both a 'beautiful' person and a 'good' book or movie, whereas 漂亮 cannot be used for a story.
Examples in context
- 這些畫很美。These paintings are beautiful.This sentence is useful for describing paintings using the form 美.Tatoeba #2635827 by cienias, translation #2682237 by iainmb93
- 瑪麗很漂亮。Mary is beautiful.This sentence is useful for describing a person's appearance using the form 漂亮.Tatoeba #5708687 by xjjAstrus, translation #2045752 by CK
- 哪幅畫漂亮？Which painting is beautiful?This sentence is useful for asking a question about a painting using the form 漂亮.Tatoeba #6056579 by xjjAstrus, translation #7768484 by sharris123
- 那张画很美丽。That painting is beautiful.
- 这座城市非常美丽。This city is incredibly beautiful.
- 她很漂亮。She is very beautiful.
- 这件衣服很漂亮。This dress is very pretty.
- 你的新发型好美！Your new hairstyle looks beautiful!
- 这个小猫好美哦！This kitten is so beautiful!
- 你的笑容真美Your smile is truly beautiful.
- 她非常美丽She is extremely beautiful.
- 289 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Xinyi are looking at a dress in a shop.
- 佳怡 Jiayi欣怡，妳看這件衣服。Xīnyí, nǐ kàn zhè jiàn yīfú.Xinyi, look at this clothing.
- 浩然 Haoran真的很漂亮！Zhēn de hěn piàoliang!It is really beautiful!
- 佳怡 Jiayi妳穿起來一定很漂亮。Nǐ chuān qǐlái yīdìng hěn piàoliang.You will certainly look beautiful wearing it.
- 浩然 Haoran謝謝你，俊杰。Xièxiè nǐ, Jùnjié.Thank you, Junjie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 美, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
