Anna Marie Datinguinoo-Goco
, February 22, 2023

Expressing Your Feelings And Emotions In Chinese: #1 Easy Guide

Feelings and emotions are a part of our everyday lives, whether we know them or not. They’re a natural way to express ourselves and help us understand other people’s feelings. But how do you talk about feelings and emotions in Chinese?

How do you know if someone is sad, angry, or happy? What do you say when you feel those emotions yourself? It’s easy to feel lost when talking about feelings in Chinese. Fortunately, we’re here to help!
We’ll walk you through a simple process to help you express your feelings in Chinese. So let’s get started!

Basic Chinese Vocabulary

The first step to expressing your feelings and emotions in Chinese is learning some basic vocabulary. We’ll start with a few Chinese words to help you express how you feel at any moment.

Let’s take a look!

Positive Feelings In Chinese

Here are some words for Chinese emotions that can be used to express positive emotions:

English	Chinese	Pinyin	Sound
Admiration	钦佩	Qīnpèi	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]钦佩[/Speechword]
Adoration	崇拜	Chóngbài	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]崇拜[/Speechword]
Amusement	娱乐	Yúlè	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]娱乐[/Speechword]
Appreciation	欣赏	Xīn shǎng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]欣赏[/Speechword]
Brave	勇敢	Yǒnggǎn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]勇敢[/Speechword]
Calm	平静	Píngjìng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]平静[/Speechword]
Carefree	无忧无虑	Wú yōu wú lǜ	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]无忧无虑[/Speechword]
Confident	自信	Zì xìn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]自信[/Speechword]
Craving	渴望	Kěwàng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]渴望[/Speechword]
Curious	好奇	Hàoqí	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]好奇[/Speechword]
Determined	有决心	Juéxīn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]有决心[/Speechword]
Excited	兴奋/激动	Xìngfèn/jīdòng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]兴奋[/Speechword] [Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]激动[/Speechword]
Funny	有趣	Yǒuqù	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]有趣[/Speechword]
Glad	欢乐	Huān lè	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]欢乐[/Speechword]
Grateful	感激的	Gǎnjīde	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]感激的[/Speechword]
Happy	高兴	Gāo xìng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]高兴[/Speechword]
Healthy	健康	Jiànkāng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]健康[/Speechword]
Honest	老实	Lǎoshí	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]老实[/Speechword]
Hopeful	有希望	Yǒuxīwàng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]有希望[/Speechword]
In love	恋爱	Liàn’ài	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]恋爱[/Speechword]
Interested	有兴趣	Yǒuxìngqù	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]有兴趣[/Speechword]
Joyful	快乐	Kuàilè	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]快乐[/Speechword]
Like	喜欢	Xǐhuān	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]喜欢[/Speechword]
Lucky	好命	Hǎo mìng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]好命[/Speechword]
Nostalgic	怀旧	Huáijiù	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]怀旧[/Speechword]
Optimistic	乐观	Lè guān	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]乐观[/Speechword]
Pleasantly surprised	惊喜	Jīng xǐ	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]惊喜[/Speechword]
Relieved	放心	Fàng xīn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]放心[/Speechword]
Romantic	浪漫	Làngmàn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]浪漫[/Speechword]
Satisfied	满意	Mǎnyì	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]满意[/Speechword]
Sympathy	同情	Tóngqíng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]同情[/Speechword]
Trust	信任	Xìnrèn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]信任[/Speechword]

Feelings and emotions in Chinese Ling App happy couple

Negative Feelings In Chinese

Now let’s learn the words to express negative feelings and emotions in Chinese.

English	Chinese	Pinyin	Sound
Afraid	害怕	Hàipà	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]害怕[/Speechword]
Angry	生气	Shēng qì	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]生气[/Speechword]
Anxious	焦虑	Jiāolǜ	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]焦虑[/Speechword]
Ashamed	羞愧	Xiūkuì	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]羞愧[/Speechword]
Bored	无聊	Wúliáo	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]无聊[/Speechword]
Busy	忙	Máng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]忙[/Speechword]
Confused	困惑	Kùnhuò	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]困惑[/Speechword]
Depressed	苦闷	Kǔ mèn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]苦闷[/Speechword]
Disappointed	失望	Shīwàng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]失望[/Speechword]
Disgusted	厌恶	Yàn wù	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]厌恶[/Speechword]
Disheartened	沮丧	Jǔsàng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]沮丧[/Speechword]
Embarrassed	尴尬	Gāngà	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]尴尬[/Speechword]
Frustrated	沮丧的	Jǔsàngde	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]沮丧的[/Speechword]
Guilty	愧疚	Kuì jiù	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]愧疚[/Speechword]
Hungry	饿了	è le	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]饿了[/Speechword]
Hurt	伤心	Shāngxīn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]伤心[/Speechword]
Jealous	嫉妒	Jídù	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]嫉妒[/Speechword]
Lonely	孤独	Gūdú	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]孤独[/Speechword]
Miserable	悲惨	Bēicǎn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]悲惨[/Speechword]
Nervous	紧张	Jǐnzhāng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]紧张[/Speechword]
Sad	难过	Nánguò	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]难过[/Speechword]
Scared	害怕的	Hàipà de	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]害怕的[/Speechword]
Shocked	吃惊	Chījīng	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]吃惊[/Speechword]
Shy	害羞	Hàixiū	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]害羞[/Speechword]
Tired	累	Lèi	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]累[/Speechword]
To dislike	讨厌	Tǎoyàn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]讨厌[/Speechword]
To feel apologetic	抱歉	Bàoqiàn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]抱歉[/Speechword]
To hate	恨	Hèn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]恨[/Speechword]
To miss	想念	Xiǎngniàn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]想念[/Speechword]
To regret	遗憾	Yíhàn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]遗憾[/Speechword]
Upset	闹心	Nào xīn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]闹心[/Speechword]
Worried	担心	Dānxīn	[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]担心[/Speechword]

How To Express Your Emotions

Mastering the vocabulary is fantastic. But how do you put them to use?

Look at these sentence structures to help you express your emotions more accurately.

I Feel (我感觉) + Any Emotion.

To form an “I feel” sentence, say 我感觉 (wǒ gǎn jué) followed by any of the emotions mentioned.

For example:

I feel calm. 我感觉平静。 (Wǒ gǎn jué píng jìng)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我感觉平静[/Speechword]

I feel sad. 我感觉难过。 (Wǒ gǎn jué nán guò)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我感觉难过[/Speechword]

I feel excited. 我感觉兴奋。 (Wǒ gǎn jué xīng fèn)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我感觉兴奋[/Speechword]

You can also change the subject of this structure to express how other people feel.

For example:

The teacher feels calm. 老师感到平静。 (Lǎo shī gǎn dào píng jìng)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]老师感到平静[/Speechword]

The baby feels hungry. 婴儿感觉饿了。 (Yīng ér gǎn jué è le)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]婴儿感觉饿了[/Speechword]

Feelings and emotions in Chinese Ling App sad kid

I’m A Little… (有点) + Any Emotion

To show that you feel just ‘a little bit’ of emotion, you can say 有点 (yǒudiǎn) followed by any of the emotions mentioned.

For example:

I am a little confused. 我有点困惑。(Wǒ yǒudiǎn kùnhuò)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我有点困惑[/Speechword]

I am a bit scared. 我有点害怕。(Wǒ yǒudiǎn hàipà.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我有点害怕[/Speechword]

I am a little curious. 我有点好奇。(Wǒ yǒudiǎn hàoqí)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我有点好奇[/Speechword]

You can also change the subject of this structure to express how other people feel.

For example:

Mary is a little worried. 玛丽有点担心。(Mǎlì yǒudiǎn dānxīn.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]玛丽有点担心[/Speechword]

John is a bit relieved. 约翰有点放心。(Yuēhàn yǒudiǎn fàngxīn.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]约翰有点放心[/Speechword]

I’m Very (我很) + Any Emotion.

To express how much you feel a specific emotion, you can say 我很 (wǒ hěn) followed by the emotion you want to convey.

For example:

I’m very hurt. 我很伤心 (Wǒ hěn shāngxīn)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我很伤心[/Speechword]

I’m very satisfied. 我很满意。(Wǒ hěn mǎnyì.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我很满意[/Speechword]

I’m very lonely. 我很孤独。(Wǒ hěn gūdú.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我很孤独[/Speechword]

I’m Not… (我不) + Any Emotion.

Conversely, if you want to say that you don’t feel an emotion, you can use 不(bù) followed by any of the emotions mentioned.

Again, this structure is used in the same way as 我很 (wǒ hěn).

I’m not busy. 我不忙。(Wǒ bù máng.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我不忙[/Speechword]

I’m not afraid. 我不害怕。(Wǒ bù hàipà.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我不害怕[/Speechword]

I’m not jealous. 我不嫉妒。(Wǒ bù jídù.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我不嫉妒[/Speechword]

I Am Too/So… (我太) + Feeling/Emotion + 了

Sometimes, you might want to emphasize that something you feel is strong. In these cases, you can use 我太 (wǒ tài) followed by a feeling or emotion, then add 了 (le) at the end.

For example:

I am too tired. 我太累了。(Wǒ tài lèile.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我太累了[/Speechword]

I am so excited. 我太激动了。(Wǒ tài jīdòngle.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我太激动了[/Speechword]

I am so grateful. 我太感激了。(Wǒ tài gǎnjīle.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]我太感激了[/Speechword]

You can also change the subject of this structure to express how other people feel.

His wife’s too angry. 他的妻子太生气了。(Tā de qīzi tài shēngqìle.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]他的妻子太生气了[/Speechword]

You are too nervous. 你太紧张了。(Nǐ tài jǐnzhāngle.)

[Speechword voice=”Chinese Female” isinline]你太紧张了[/Speechword]

Learning Tip

If you want to perfect expressing your feelings and emotions in Chinese, watch Chinese dramas and movies. They are a great way to learn more about Chinese culture and how people express themselves emotionally.

They are also an excellent way to learn Chinese because they use everyday speech.

Feelings and emotions in Chinese Ling App happy family

Feeling And Emotions In The Chinese Culture

When it comes to feelings and emotions, Chinese people tend to be more reserved than Westerners. This can cause some confusion for visitors who are accustomed to the open, expressive nature of many Western cultures.

Although the Chinese are generally warm and welcoming, they’re not known to be very open with their feelings. Chinese people often use subtle gestures and expressions to indicate their real emotions.

Moreover, overtly emotional displays of affection are not common in Chinese culture. For example, it’s unlikely that you’ll see a man holding hands with his girlfriend or wife on the street.

Likewise, most Chinese people don’t show their feelings by hugging friends or acquaintances when they meet them for the first time.

Sometimes, expressing emotions can be considered rude. So, it is better to observe the situation and gauge its appropriateness before expressing your opinion or showing any strong emotion.

Express Your Feelings And Emotions

Expressing your feelings and emotions in Chinese can be a little intimidating at first, especially with the cultural difference. But don’t let that stop you! With the proper knowledge of the language and a few simple tips, you’ll be able to express yourself like a native speaker in no time.

Just remember, Chinese culture is very different from Western culture. The Chinese are generally more reserved and don’t show much emotion, so it’s important to respect that when you’re in China.

If you want to learn more about the Chinese language and culture, check out the Ling app!