Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 難看 / 难看 | nánkàn |
| 醜 / 丑 | chǒu |
| 媸 | chī |
| 醜陋 / 丑陋 | chǒulòu |
難看 is the most common way to describe something visually unappealing, such as an object, a piece of clothing or a person's appearance. It can also be used figuratively for something unpleasant to witness, such as a bad performance or ugly behavior.
What does it mean word for word?
難看 is made of 難, hard or difficult and 看, to look, so it literally means hard to look at.
Which one should you use?
醜 / 丑 (chǒu) is a more direct and stronger way to say that someone or something is ugly. 醜陋 / 丑陋 (chǒulòu) is a formal, literary word for extreme ugliness and can also describe moral vileness. 醜八怪 (chǒu bā guài) is an informal insult for a person, close to an ugly freak.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
醜陋 is formal and literary. 醜八怪 is informal and insulting, so use it with care.
How does it change in a sentence?
In a simple sentence these adjectives usually take 很 (hěn), very, in front of them, as in 很難看 (hěn nánkàn), even when you do not really mean very.
How do you pronounce it?
難看 is pronounced nánkàn in pinyin, with a rising tone on the first syllable and a falling tone on the second.
What mistakes should you avoid?
醜 is much blunter than 難看. When you talk about how someone looks, 難看 sounds less harsh.
Did you know?
- While 醜 means 'ugly', it is also the word for the second animal in the Chinese zodiac, the ox. In the earthly branches system, 丑 represents the ox and a specific time period between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.
- The character 醜 contains the radical for 'ghost' or 'demon' because, in traditional Chinese culture, supernatural beings were often conceived as being inherently unsightly.
- In some dialects and informal speech, the word 醜 can be used playfully or affectionately between close friends or couples, similar to how 'stinky' or 'ugly' is used in some English endearments.
Examples in context
- 他的外表非常醜陋。His appearance is extremely ugly.
- 他的衣服真的很醜。His clothes are really ugly.
- 他總是戴著那頂帽子，看起來像個醜八怪。He always wears that hat and looks like an ugly freak.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ugly” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 醜, CC BY-SA 4.0.
