Emotion words are the ones you most want on the tip of your tongue and least often remember. This free printable page gives you eleven of them to trace and write: 心情 (xīn qíng, mood), 高兴, 开心, 兴奋, 难过, 生气, 害怕, 紧张, 担心, 累 and 无聊. Each prints with pinyin above 田字格 (tián zì gé) grids and needs no account to download.
The heart inside the characters
Chinese puts feelings in the heart rather than the head, and the characters show it. 心 stands whole and visible in 开心 and 担心. In other characters it is squeezed onto the left edge as 忄, the form you trace inside the 怕 of 害怕 and the 情 of 心情, and it turns up again in 忙 for busy and 快 for quick. When a new character carries those three strokes on its left, it usually describes a state of mind.
Two things learners get wrong
First, adjectives need no verb. 我很高兴 is I am happy, and adding 是 breaks it; 很 here is closer to a placeholder than to the word very. Second, watch 兴. It reads xìng in 高兴 but xīng in 兴奋, one character with two readings that sound nothing alike in a sentence. The Mandarin tone pair trainer is a good place to drill that contrast by ear.
Trace the guided strokes, then write each word from memory in the blank squares and say it aloud with the feeling it names. For a sheet built around the moods you personally reach for, type them into the Chinese worksheet generator.
Words on this worksheet: 心情 (xīnqíng) — mood; 高兴 (gāoxìng) — happy; 开心 (kāixīn) — Happy; 兴奋 (xīngfèn) — Excitement; 难过 (nánguò) — Sorry; 生气 (shēngqì) — get angry; 害怕 (hàipà) — Fear; 紧张 (jǐnzhāng) — Nervous; 担心 (dānxīn) — Worry; 累 (lèi) — tired; 无聊 (wúliáo) — Boring.
Hear these words in beginner Mandarin songs.
Frequently asked questions
Is this worksheet free to download as a PDF?
Yes. The Emotions & Feelings worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed. Press Print / Download PDF: on a computer the PDF opens ready to print or save, and on a phone it goes to your share sheet. A4 or US Letter follows your country.
What level is this worksheet?
It suits learners from about HSK 3. That is an editorial estimate for the Emotions & Feelings topic, not an official HSK word list, so a few of its 11 words may be harder. Each word prints with tone-marked pinyin and an English meaning to help.
Can I print copies for my class?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like — it's free. For a class set, press Change the words and open More options to add an answer key, a class line or a dictation page; the Student PDF leaves the key out. Test turns the sheet into a quiz.
Can I change the words or use traditional characters?
Yes. Press Change the words to open this sheet in the generator, then add, remove or replace words, up to 20 per sheet. Set Characters to Traditional to switch the whole sheet to traditional characters; a word with no verified traditional form stays as you typed it.
How should I practice with this worksheet?
Trace the gray guides first, saying each word aloud, then cover the model and write the characters from memory in the blank boxes. Scan the sheet's QR code or open the Practice tab to watch each stroke animate, trace it, then recall it without a guide. Revisit missed words a day or two later.