Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 冷 | lěng | /lɤŋ²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nən⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 寒 | hán | /xän³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xã²⁴/ (Mandarin, Xi'an, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 冷 | léng | /liɪŋ⁴¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Sinological IPA) /leŋ⁴²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
The primary adjective for having a low temperature is 冷. Beyond physical temperature, 冷 can be used metaphorically to describe a person's personality or attitude as being 'cold' or indifferent. Related terms include 寒冷, which is used as a noun to refer to the cold and 感冒, which refers to an illness such as a cold or flu.
Which one should you use?
While 冷 is the common word for cold, 寒 is a more formal or literary term often used to describe a biting or bitter cold.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Dungan language, the following forms are used: лын, бин and хан. In Hokkien, the term 冷 is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 冷 as an adjective to describe a state, it is common to use an adverb of degree like 很 (hěn) instead of the verb 'to be'. For example, you would say 很冷 for 'very cold'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for 冷 is léng. The IPA is /lɤŋ²¹⁴/.
Did you know?
- Chinese has a distinct word for 'cold' that refers specifically to a 'cold joke', known as 冷笑话.
- The term 感冒 is used to mean 'a cold', but it literally refers to the act of 'catching a wind' or 'catching a chill'.
- In some contexts, 冷 describes 'cold' food that has gone cold, whereas 凉 refers to food that is intentionally served chilled.
Examples in context
- 空气有点冷。The air felt a little cold.This sentence uses 冷 to describe the temperature of the air.Tatoeba #1420669 by sadhen, translation #21979 by Swift
- 我喜歡寒冷。I like the cold.This sentence uses 冷 to refer to the sensation of cold.Tatoeba #1647824 by egg0073, translation #252385 by CK
- 食物是冷的。The food is cold.This sentence uses 冷 to describe the temperature of food.Tatoeba #4761473 by billt_estates, translation #325769 by CK
- Jīntiān tiānqì hěn lěng (今天天气很冷)The weather is cold today
- Jīntiān fēng hěn liáng (今天风很凉)The wind is cool today
- 198 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are deciding whether to open a window.
- 伟 Wei你觉得这里冷吗？Nǐ juédé zhèlǐ lěng ma?Do you think it's cold in here?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我觉得有点冷。Wǒ juédé yǒudiǎn lěng.I think it's a bit cold.
- 伟 Wei那我把窗户关上。Nà wǒ bǎ chuānghu guānshàng.Then I will close the window.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen谢谢你，伟。Xièxiè nǐ, Wěi.Thank you, Wei.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cold” translations and entries 冷, 寒, 冷, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
