Descriptive adjectives in Mandarin Chinese describe qualities such as size, color, shape, and more, and they usually appear before the noun they modify or after certain markers when used predicatively. This guide covers common adjectives and important sentence patterns for learners.
Key Adjectives
Key descriptive adjectives cover basic sensory qualities like color, size, shape, and texture, and they are useful in everyday speech and writing. Learn each adjective with its Hanzi and Pinyin to recognize them quickly.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大 | dà | big | |
| 小 | xiǎo | small | |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | beautiful | |
| 红 | hóng | red | |
| 长 | cháng | long | |
| 短 | duǎn | short | |
| 高 | gāo | tall/high | |
| 旧 | jiù | old (thing) | |
| 新 | xīn | new | |
| 重 | zhòng | heavy | |
| 轻 | qīng | light |
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍎 红的苹果很甜。 | Hóng de píngguǒ hěn tián. | The red apple is very sweet. | |
| 🍌 黄的香蕉很香。 | Huáng de xiāngjiāo hěn xiāng. | The yellow banana smells nice. | |
| 🍇 紫的葡萄很漂亮。 | Zǐ de pútáo hěn piàoliang. | The purple grapes are very pretty. | |
| 🥬 绿的菜很新鲜。 | Lǜ de cài hěn xīnxiān. | The green vegetables are very fresh. | |
| 🍊 橙的橘子很甜。 | Chéng de júzi hěn tián. | The orange tangerine is very sweet. | |
| 🍰 甜的蛋糕很好吃。 | Tián de dàngāo hěn hǎochī. | The sweet cake is very tasty. | |
| 🍋 酸的柠檬很醒神。 | Suān de níngméng hěn xǐngshén. | The sour lemon is very refreshing. | |
| 🍞 新的面包很香。 | Xīn de miànbāo hěn xiāng. | The fresh bread smells nice. | |
| 🧀 软的奶酪很好吃。 | Ruǎn de nǎilào hěn hǎochī. | The soft cheese is very tasty. | |
| 🍪 脆的饼干很香。 | Cuì de bǐnggān hěn xiāng. | The crispy cookie smells nice. |
Usage
In Mandarin, adjectives can be used attributively to modify a noun directly when they follow adj + de (的), or they can appear predicatively when they follow the linking verb shì (是) or when used without shì and with an adverb like hěn (很). Adjectives can also function as stative verbs.
Attributive Adjectives
When an adjective describes a noun directly, it usually takes the particle de (的) after it if the adjective is more than one syllable or if you want to emphasize the quality; single-syllable adjectives can sometimes modify nouns without de. This pattern makes the sentence clear and natural.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍎 红的苹果很好看。 | Hóng de píngguǒ hěn hǎokàn. | The red apple looks nice. | |
| 🍌 熟了的香蕉很甜。 | Shú le de xiāngjiāo hěn tián. | The ripe banana is very sweet. | |
| 🍇 新鲜的葡萄很好吃。 | Xīnxiān de pútáo hěn hǎochī. | The fresh grapes are tasty. |
Predicative Adjectives
To state that something has a quality, use the adjective after a linking structure; you can say noun + hěn + adj (noun + 很 + adj) for a smooth and typical sentence, omitting shì (是) because adjectives behave like verbs in predicative position. This form is common in spoken Mandarin.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍊 这个橘子 很甜。 | Zhège júzi hěn tián. | This tangerine is very sweet. | |
| 🍋 柠檬 很酸。 | Níngméng hěn suān. | The lemon is very sour. | |
| 🥬 菜 很新鲜。 | Cài hěn xīnxiān. | The vegetables are very fresh. |
Adjectives as Verbs
Many adjectives in Mandarin function as stative verbs, so you can use them directly after the noun and adverb without shì (是), and they can take complements or modifiers to show degree or result. This allows for concise and natural descriptions.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍌 香蕉 熟 了。 | Xiāngjiāo shú le. | The banana has ripened. | |
| 🥬 菜 新鲜 极了。 | Cài xīnxiān jíle. | The vegetables are extremely fresh. | |
| 🍪 饼干 脆 了。 | Bǐnggān cuì le. | The cookies have become crispy. |
Negation
To negate an adjective used predicatively, place bù (不) before the adjective; for some adjectives that describe ability or tendency, use méi (没) or other negators as appropriate. Negation keeps the sentence meaning clear.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍎 苹果 不 红，是青的。 | Píngguǒ bù hóng, shì qīng de. | The apple is not red, it’s green. | |
| 🍊 橘子 没 甜，很酸。 | Júzi méi tián, hěn suān. | The tangerine isn’t sweet, it’s very sour. | |
| 🥬 菜 不 新鲜，已经坏了。 | Cài bù xīnxiān, yǐjīng huàile. | The vegetables are not fresh, they’re spoiled. |
Summary
Descriptive adjectives tell us about qualities like size, color, and shape, and they appear either before nouns with de (的) when needed or after an adverb like hěn (很) when used predicatively; remember that adjectives often act like verbs in Mandarin, so you can use them directly in sentences to describe states. Practice these patterns with common adjectives to make your descriptions natural and precise.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025