Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 相似 | xiāngsì |
| 類似 / 类似 | lèisì |
| 差不多 | chàbùduō |
In Chinese, several words describe things that have traits or characteristics in common. 相似 and 类似 are used to describe things that are alike or comparable. 类似 is frequently used as a verb or an adjective to mean 'to be similar to' or 'to resemble' a certain type or category. You can modify the level of similarity for both 相似 and 类似 using modifiers such as 非常 (very), 有点儿 (a bit) or 相对而言 (relatively).
What does it mean word for word?
The colloquial expression 差不多 literally means 'no difference much', composed of 差 (difference), 不 (not) and 多 (much).
Which one should you use?
相似 and 类似 are formal terms, while 差不多 is a colloquial expression. While the former two describe similarity, 差不多 is used to express that two things are 'about the same' or 'close enough' in degree or quantity and it can also mean 'almost' or 'roughly'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because 相似 and 类似 are adjectives, they are often preceded by an adverb of degree like 很 (hěn) to sound more natural in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
xiāngsì
Did you know?
- Chinese has a specific term 差不多先生 or 'Mr. Almost', a famous literary character who satirizes the habit of being imprecise.
- While 差不多 means 'similar' or 'almost', it is also used as a cultural philosophy to describe a 'good enough' attitude toward precision.
- The character 似 in both 相似 and 类似 originally depicted a person leaning or tilting, suggesting the idea of 'approaching' a certain look.
Examples in context
- 你我的问题很相似。Your problem and mine are similar.This sentence shows how to use 相似 to compare two problems.Tatoeba #1757277 by sadhen, translation #71211 by CK
- 汤姆也表示了相似观点。Tom has expressed similar ideas.This sentence demonstrates using 相似 with viewpoints.Tatoeba #10460402 by GlossaMatik, translation #6263667 by CK
- 在那個時代，男女髮式大體相似。In that age, men and women wore similar hairstyles.This sentence shows how 相似 can describe general patterns like hairstyles.Tatoeba #6475467 by xjjAstrus, translation #7835080 by basilhan
- 这两个产品在外观和功能上非常相似。These two products are very similar in appearance and functionality.
- 这个项目和我们之前做过的一个项目非常类似。This project is very similar to one we did before.
- 这两个手机的配置差不多。The configurations of these two phones are similar.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are comparing their new smartphones.
- 浩然 Haoran你的新手机和我的很相似。Nǐ de xīn shǒujī hé wǒ de hěn xiāngsì.Your new phone is very similar to mine.
- 佳怡 Jiayi确实，它们的功能几乎一样。Quèshí, tāmen de gōngnéng jīhū yīyàng.Indeed, their functions are almost the same.
- 浩然 Haoran你们买的是同一个型号吗？Nǐmen mǎi de shì tóng yīgè xínghào ma?Did you buy the same model?
- 佳怡 Jiayi不是，但设计非常相似。Búshì, dàn shèjì fēicháng xiāngsì.No, but the designs are very similar.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “similar” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
