# Chinese Adjectives List: 100 Common Words to Describe People, Places and Things The 100 describing words you need most, with pinyin, meaning and an example, plus how 很, 太 and 有点儿 change them, with audio Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-adjectives-list ## At a glance - Level: Beginner · HSK 1 - Format: Reference guide · PDF · 15 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Nov 4, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-adjectives-list. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 这个太好吃了！ (Zhège tài hǎochī le!) — This is so good! ## By the end you can - Describe size and shape. 大 and 小, 高 and 矮, 长 and 短, 重 and 轻, and 圆 for a round full moon, each with a short example sentence. 重 (zhòng): heavy - Say how people look and what they're like. Compliment kindly with 漂亮, 帅 and 可爱, and describe personality with 热情, 认真, 聪明, 害羞 and 幽默. 漂亮 (piàoliang): pretty, beautiful - Say how you feel right now. Tired, hungry, thirsty, sad, angry or worried: 累, 饿, 渴, 难过, 生气 and 着急, plus 舒服 for feeling well. 舒服 (shūfu): comfortable; feeling well - Describe how food and drinks taste. 好吃 for food and 好喝 for drinks, then sweet, spicy, salty, sour and bitter, 香 for food that smells good, and 饱 when you're full. 这个菜有点儿辣。 (Zhège cài yǒudiǎnr là.): This dish is a bit spicy. - Describe places, weather and things you buy. Cold or warm, far or near, clean, lively, convenient and safe, then new or old, expensive or cheap, useful and broken. 方便 (fāngbiàn): convenient - Talk about time, difficulty and opposites. Fast, slow, early, late and busy, hard, easy, important and interesting, then five pairs of opposites such as 对 and 错, 一样 and 不同. 有意思 (yǒu yìsi): interesting - Turn any adjective up or down, without 是. Adjectives work like verbs, so say 我很忙, never 我是忙. Swap the plain 很 for 非常 (very), 太…了 (too, so) or 有点儿 (a bit, mostly for things you don't like). 我的茶有点儿甜。 (Wǒ de chá yǒudiǎnr tián.): My tea is a little sweet. - Describe a friend, a city and a meal. Put several adjectives and degree words together in a few natural sentences, the way Xiaoyu and Lin Hao talk about a new friend and a trip to Shanghai. 我的城市不大，可是非常干净。 (Wǒ de chéngshì bú dà, kěshì fēicháng gānjìng.): My city isn't big, but it's very clean. ## What's inside - Adjectives: Size and Shape · How People Look · Personality · Feelings · Taste and Food · Places and Weather · Things and Quality · Time and Speed · Difficulty and Value · Opposite Pairs - Practice: Very, Too or a Bit? · Describe a Friend, a City, a Meal ## How to use this book Ten pages of ten adjectives each, then two practice pages. Play the free audio, say each word and its example, then make it yours: change one word and say it again. A page a day takes under two weeks. - Days 1–3: People. Pages 3 to 5: size, looks and personality. Describe someone you know with three of the words. - Days 4–6: Feelings, food and places. Pages 6 to 8. Say how you feel each morning, and describe the taste of each meal. - Days 7–10: Things, time and opposites. Pages 9 to 12. Describe what you own and how your day is going, and learn the five opposite pairs together. - Day 11: Degree words. Page 13. Listen for the degree word, choose the right one for each sentence, and fix the mistakes, like 我是很忙. - Day 12: Describe out loud. Page 14. Read the dialogue, answer the questions, then describe one friend, your city and a meal you love, each with a different degree word. ## Who it's for Beginners who know some basic Chinese and want more words to describe people, places, food and things in short, natural sentences. Before you start: Pinyin and a few simple sentences. Every word has pinyin, meaning and an example sentence, and the free audio reads every word and example with a pause to say it back. ## Why don't Chinese adjectives take 是? Chinese adjectives work like verbs, so they don't need a word for "is". Say 我很忙, never 我是忙. A plain 很 is often just the link, so 他很高 simply means "He is tall", not "He is very tall". ## What's the difference between 很, 非常, 太…了 and 有点儿? 很 is the plain link, 非常 means very, 太…了 means too or so, and 有点儿 means a bit, mostly for things you don't like: 这个汤有点儿咸 (this soup is a bit too salty). Page 13 practises all four. ## Is there audio? Yes, free on the book's page on saymei.app. Every word and every example sentence is read aloud, with a pause for you to say it back. The listening questions on page 13 are on the audio too, and the code on page 2 opens it. ## Is this workbook free? Yes. The whole 15-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. ## Can I print copies for my class? Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy. Version 2026-11, updated Nov 4, 2026.