健康
jiànkāng
The Mandarin word for "healthy" is 健康 (jiànkāng).
健康 is an adjective meaning enjoying good health. It can also be used as a noun meaning "health" in certain phrases, such as when wishing someone health.
Meaning: enjoying good health (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The first character, 健, means strong or vigorous.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 健康 as an adjective in a simple sentence, it is common to use the adverb 很 (hěn) before it, even if "very" is not intended to be emphasized.
How do you pronounce it?
jiànkāng
When do people say it?
You may use 健康 when expressing well-wishes, such as in the phrase 祝你健康, which means "Wish you health".
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the concept of being 'healthy' involves the balance of 阴 (yīn) and 阳 (yáng) rather than just the absence of disease.
- To describe a 'healthy appetite', Mandarin speakers use the phrase 胃口好 (wèikǒu hǎo), which literally means 'mouth of the stomach is good'.
- In some dialects and casual speech, instead of using the formal 健康, people might describe a healthy person as 硬朗 (yìnglǎng), a term specifically used to praise the sturdy health of elderly people.
Examples in context
- 父亲很健康。My father is healthy.This sentence shows how to describe a person's state of being using 健康.Tatoeba #7767607 by jiangche, translation #2455027 by wma
- 他們年輕健康。They're young and healthy.This sentence demonstrates using 健康 alongside another adjective to describe people.Tatoeba #13564384 by LeviHighway, translation #1690585 by Spamster
- 他告訴我他很健康。He told me that he was healthy.This sentence shows how to report someone's statement about being 健康.Tatoeba #13826475 by LeviHighway, translation #7398171 by CH
- 我每天锻炼身体来保持健康。I exercise every day to maintain my health.
- 他的饮食习惯对他的健康有益。His eating habits are beneficial to his health.
- 他有一个好身体，从不生病。He has a good body and never gets sick.
- 北方的人通常更健壮。People in the northern regions are generally stronger and more robust.
- 我的目标是达到身心健全的状态。My goal is to achieve a state of complete physical and mental health.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Xinyi are discussing their daily habits.
- 雨婷 Yuting你每天运动，看起来很健康。Nǐ měitiān yùndòng, kàn qǐlái hěn jiànkāng.You exercise every day, you look very healthy.
- 伟 Wei谢谢，我也希望你一直健康。Xièxie, wǒ yě xīwàng nǐ yīzhí jiànkāng.Thanks, I also hope you stay healthy.
- 雨婷 Yuting我会的，饮食习惯也很重要。Wǒ huì de, yǐnshí xíguàn yě hěn zhòngyào.I will, eating habits are also very important.
- 伟 Wei没错，健康的生活最重要。Méi cuò, jiànkāng de shēnghuó zuì zhòngyào.That's right, a healthy life is the most important.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “healthy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
