甜
tián
The English word "sweet" is translated into Mandarin as 甜 (tián).
甜 is an adjective used to describe something having a pleasant, sweet taste. Just like in English, it can be used metaphorically to describe a 香甜 (sweet) smell or a sweet voice. If you want to refer specifically to the noun "sweet taste", you can use 甜味. The related noun 糖果 refers to a sugary confection.
Meaning: having a pleasant taste (adj)
Which one should you use?
While 甜 is the standard adjective, other forms change the nuance: 甜蜜 conveys a deeper sense of sweetness often used in intimate or romantic contexts, while the informal 甜蜜蜜 is an endearing way to describe sweetness. For extreme emphasis, the informal expression 甜死了 can be used to mean something is extremely sweet.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
tián
Did you know?
- In many Chinese-speaking regions, if a person's speech is described as 甜, it does not just mean it is pleasant, but specifically that it sounds flirtatious or overly charming.
- In Chinese culture, the concept of 'sweetness' is often linked to 'happiness' and 'harmony' in names or wedding wishes, much more deeply than the simple taste sensation.
- The character 甜 is an ideogrammic compound, meaning it was created by combining two existing characters to forge a new meaning.
Examples in context
- 甘蔗是甜的。Sugar cane is sweet.The first sentence shows how to use 甜 to describe the taste of sugar cane.Tatoeba #13189731 by LeviHighway, translation #13189645 by ecorralest101
- 這花聞著香甜。This flower smells sweet.The second sentence uses 甜 to describe a sweet-smelling flower.Tatoeba #5569544 by verdastelo9604, translation #60059 by ddnktr
- 這顆蘋果很甜。This apple is sweet.The third sentence demonstrates using 甜 to describe the taste of an apple.Tatoeba #13167245 by LeviHighway, translation #60349 by CK
- 这个苹果很甜。This apple is very sweet.
- 我喜欢吃甜食。I like to eat sweet foods.
- 我们度过了一个甜蜜的晚上。We had a sweet evening together.
- 他们的爱情故事充满了甜蜜和浪漫。Their love story is full of sweetness and romance.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
俊杰 and 欣怡 are sharing a dessert at a cafe.
- 俊杰 Junjie欣怡，妳覺得這個蛋糕甜嗎？Xīnyí, nǐ juédé zhège dàngāo tián ma?Xinyi, do you think this cake is sweet?
- 欣怡 Xinyi有一點甜，但是很好吃。Yǒu yīdiǎn tián, dànshì hěn hào chī.It is a little sweet, but it's delicious.
- 俊杰 Junjie我也覺得甜度剛剛好。Wǒ yě juédé tiándù gānggāng hǎo.I also think the sweetness is just right.
- 欣怡 Xinyi那我們再多吃一點吧。Nà wǒmen zài duō chī yīdiǎn ba.Then let's eat a little more.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sweet” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 甜, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
