Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 好 | hǎo | /xɑʊ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xau⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 健康 | jiànkāng | /t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ kʰɑŋ⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡ɕiæ̃⁴⁴ kʰɑŋ²⁴/ (Mandarin, Dungan, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 好勢 / 好势 | hó-sè / hó-sì | Hokkien |
While 好 is a versatile word that can mean "well" (as in doing something competently or accurately), it is also used to describe being in good health or a state of being. When you want to express that someone is doing "well" in terms of performance or behavior in a formal setting, you might use 表现出色. For a more informal way to say something is "awesome" or "great", you can use 好棒 or use 厉害 to describe someone who is "impressive" or "skilled".
Which one should you use?
Use 健康 instead of 好 when you need to be precise or formal about someone's physical health or medical wellness.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, the phrase 好勢 / 好势 is used to express being in good shape or doing well. In Taiwan, the phrase 非常好 is commonly used to mean "very good" or "excellent".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say that someone is "very well", you should add the adverb 很 before 好 to form 很好.
How do you pronounce it?
好 is pronounced /xɑʊ̯²¹⁴/.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- 汤姆还好吧？Is Tom well?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is well using 好.Tatoeba #4473132 by yuiyu, translation #2244644 by CK
- 對他好一點。Treat him well.This sentence shows how to use 好 to mean treating someone well.Tatoeba #4737561 by egg0073, translation #1789297 by Spamster
- 雨伞卖得好。Umbrellas sell well.This sentence demonstrates how 好 can describe the success of sales.Tatoeba #5794113 by verdastelo9604, translation #245014 by CM
- 老师：你做得很好！ (Lǎoshī: Nǐ zuò dé hěn hǎo!)Teacher: You did very well!
- 经理：她在项目中表现出色！ (Jīnglǐ: Tā zài xiàngmù zhōng biǎoxiàn chūsè!)Manager: She performed exceptionally well in the project!
- 朋友：你演得好棒！ (Péngyǒu: Nǐ yǎn dé hǎo bàng!)Friend: You acted amazingly well!
- 同事：你的中文说得真厉害！ (Tóngshì: Nǐ de Zhōngwén shuō dé zhēn lìhai!)Colleague: Your Chinese is really impressive!
- 267 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting on the phone about family.
- 浩然 Haoran你奶奶最近身体好吗？Nǐ nǎinai zuìjìn shēntǐ hǎo ma?Is your grandmother in good health lately?
- 雨婷 Yuting她身体很好。Tā shēntǐ hěn hǎo.She is in very good health.
- 浩然 Haoran那就好。Nà jiù hǎo.That's good to hear.
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢你的关心。Xièxiè nǐ de guānxīn.Thank you for your concern.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “well” translations and entries 好, 健康, 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.
