好
hǎo/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴/
The English phrase 'good' is expressed in Chinese as 好 (hǎo).
好 is an adjective used to describe things that are pleasant or enjoyable. Depending on the intensity you wish to convey, you can use different phrases: 挺好 (tǐng hǎo) is a colloquial way to say something is 'pretty good' or 'quite good', while 好极了 (hǎo jí le) is used to express that something is excellent or wonderful.
Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something is 'very good', you can place the adverb 很 (hěn) before the adjective to form 很好. To create the negative form meaning 'not good', use 不好 (bù hǎo).
How do you pronounce it?
hǎo (/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴/)
Did you know?
- The character 好 is a visual combination of the symbols for 'woman' (女) and 'child' (子).
- The word 好 has a relative in Proto-Sino-Tibetan, the word *hu, which means 'to raise', 'to rear' or 'to nourish'.
- Because of its components, one popular theory is that 好 represents the 'goodness' found in a mother's affection for her child.
Examples in context
- 祝考试好运！Good luck on the exam!This sentence shows how to use 好 in the context of wishing someone good luck.Tatoeba #409431 by GlossaMatik, translation #409429 by FeuDRenais
- 你干得很好。You did a good job.This sentence demonstrates the use of 好 to describe a job well done.Tatoeba #482712 by biglion, translation #707269 by CM
- 但咖啡不好。But the coffee's not good.This sentence illustrates the negative form of 好 to describe something of poor quality.Tatoeba #528707 by GlossaMatik, translation #403138 by Ramses
- 你的工作做得很好。 (Nǐ de gōngzuò zuò dé hěn hǎo.)You did a great job on your work.
- 你的演奏太棒了！ (Nǐ de yǎnzòu tài bàng le!)Your performance was amazing!
- 你的考试成绩太棒了！ (Nǐ de kǎoshì chéngjī tài bàng le!)Your exam result is excellent!
- 这家餐厅的菜不错。 (Zhè jiā cāntīng de cài búcuò.)The food at this restaurant is good.
- 这部电影我觉得挺好的。 (Zhè bù diànyǐng wǒ juédé tǐng hǎo de.)I think this movie is pretty good.
- 744 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a recent trip to a park.
- 雨婷 Yuting那里的风景真好。Nàlǐ de fēngjǐng zhēn hǎo.The scenery there is really good.
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，天气也很不错。Shì de, tiānqì yě hěn bùcuò.Yes, the weather was also quite nice.
- 雨婷 Yuting在那儿玩得很开心。Zài nà'er wán de hěn kāixīn.It was very pleasant playing there.
- 俊杰 Junjie下次我们再去吧。Xià cì wǒmen zài qù ba.Let's go again next time.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 好, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 好, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
