好
hǎo/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴/
In Mandarin, "good" is expressed as 好 (hǎo).
好 is used to describe things that are pleasant or enjoyable. It can also be used to express agreement or approval, much like saying "okay" or "all right" in English. Additionally, the phrase zao shang hao is used to say "good morning".
Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that something is "very good," you typically place the adverb 很 (hěn) before 好. When using 好 as an adverb to describe how an action is performed, it is often preceded by the particle 得 (de).
How do you pronounce it?
hǎo
Did you know?
- The character 好 is a combination of the radicals for 'woman' (女) and 'child' (子).
- When used to describe a person's hobby or a passion, the word 好 shifts from meaning 'pleasant' to meaning 'fond of'.
- The character 好 is an ideogram, meaning it combines two ideas to create a new concept rather than just representing a sound.
Examples in context
- 祝考试好运！Good luck on the exam!This sentence is useful for wishing someone luck with an exam using 好.Tatoeba #409431 by GlossaMatik, translation #409429 by FeuDRenais
- 你干得很好。You did a good job.This sentence is useful for describing a job done well using 好.Tatoeba #482712 by biglion, translation #707269 by CM
- 但咖啡不好。But the coffee's not good.This sentence is useful for stating that coffee is not good using 好.Tatoeba #528707 by GlossaMatik, translation #403138 by Ramses
- 744 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a movie they just watched.
- 雨婷 Yuting这部电影真好。Zhè bù diànyǐng zhēn hǎo.This movie is really good.
- 志强 Zhiqiang是的，故事很好。Shì de, gùshì hěn hǎo.Yes, the story is good.
- 雨婷 Yuting风景也很漂亮。Fēngjǐng yě hěn piàoliang.The scenery is also beautiful.
- 志强 Zhiqiang看完感觉真好。Kàn wán gǎnjué zhēn hǎo.It felt really good to watch it.
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.
