懦夫
nuòfū
The English word 'coward' can be translated into Chinese using 懦夫 (nuòfū). Wiktionary also lists 孬種 / 孬种 (nāozhǒng) and 孱頭 / 孱头 (càntou).
Meaning: a person who lacks courage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 懦夫 | nuòfū |
| 孬種 / 孬种 | nāozhǒng |
| 孱頭 / 孱头 | càntou |
| 膽小鬼 / 胆小鬼 | dǎnxiǎoguǐ |
| 軟骨頭 / 软骨头 |
All the terms provided refer to a person who lacks courage. While some are direct translations of 'coward', 孬種 carries an additional connotation of being a 'worthless person' or a 'scoundrel'. 軟骨頭 is used metaphorically to describe someone with no backbone or character.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 膽小鬼 literally translates to 'small-gall ghost', where 'gall' (膽) refers to one's courage. The term 軟骨頭 literally means 'soft bones'.
Which one should you use?
懦夫 is a more formal and literary term for 'coward' than the colloquial 膽小鬼.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
膽小鬼 is the most common way to call someone a coward in everyday spoken Chinese. It is often used in a teasing or mildly insulting way. In contrast, 懦夫 is a formal term.
How do you pronounce it?
nuòfū
Did you know?
- The character 懦 in 懦夫 is composed of the radical for 'woman' (女) and a phonetic component. In ancient texts, this gender-coded radical was often used to associate softness or lack of strength with femininity.
- Chinese has a related phrase 膽量 (gall-volume) to describe the amount of courage someone possesses. Instead of having 'a lot of nerve', a brave person is said to have a 'large gall'.
- In some Northern Chinese dialects, 孬 (nāo) can be used to describe everything from bad weather to a broken machine. Using it in 孬種 labels the person as 'defective' in the same way a tool is broken.
Examples in context
- 他是个懦夫。He is a coward.This sentence shows how to identify someone as a 懦夫.Tatoeba #4249131 by shanghainese, translation #7782934 by sharris123
- 您不是个懦夫。You are not a coward.This sentence shows how to deny that someone is a 懦夫.Tatoeba #469382 by fucongcong, translation #16281 by CK
- 她對被稱為懦夫很反感。She resented being called a coward.This sentence illustrates someone feeling resentment toward being called a 懦夫.Tatoeba #861428 by Martha, translation #312732 by CK
- 他是个胆小鬼He is a coward
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coward” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
