嫵媚 / 妩媚
wǔmèi
The English word 'delightful' can be translated into Chinese as 嫵媚 / 妩媚 (wǔmèi) or 愉快.
Meaning: pleasant, pleasing (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 嫵媚 / 妩媚 | wǔmèi |
| 愉快 | yúkuài |
The word 愉快 is used to describe pleasant experiences, moods or days, such as a delightful meeting or a delightful mood. In contrast, 嫵媚 / 妩媚 refers specifically to a woman's charming, seductive or coquettish appearance or manner.
Which one should you use?
愉快 is the appropriate choice for general pleasantness, such as a delightful day. 嫵媚 / 妩媚 is not used for situations but instead describes physical charm or attractiveness.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, adding 曬 (saai3) to the end of 好開心 (hou2 hoi1 sam1) intensifies the meaning to convey a stronger sense of delight.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, 愉快 can be preceded by degree adverbs such as 很 (hěn – very) or 非常 (fēicháng – extremely) to intensify the sense of delight.
How do you pronounce it?
wǔmèi
Did you know?
- The feeling of delight expressed by 愉快 is culturally tied to 和, a concept of harmony that is often a prerequisite for a situation to be truly pleasant.
- The character 媚 in the word for charm contains the 'woman' radical, reflecting a historical cultural nuance where charm was often linked to a woman's ability to please others to gain favor.
- While 愉快 translates to 'delightful', it is rarely used in casual speech, where speakers instead use 開心 to express being happy or pleased.
Examples in context
- 我們過了最愉快的一天。We've had a most delightful day.This sentence shows how to use 愉快 to describe a delightful day.Tatoeba #6077500 by verdastelo9604, translation #5726611 by CM
- 今天的演示令人愉快 (jīn tiān de yǎn shì lìng rén yú kuài)Today's presentation was delightful.
- 這本書真棒! (zhè běn shū zhēn bàng)This book is amazing!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “delightful” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
