Chinese Emotions Vocabulary

Here are Chinese words for emotions to start with: 生气 (shēng qì, angry), 快乐 (kuài lè, happy), 伤心 (shāng xīn, sad), 兴奋的 (xīng fèn de, excited). Below are 48 words (A1–B2) with their English translations, part of speech and a romanization to help you say them, across 6 themed lists.

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Photo: StockSnap

Emotions Basics

A1–B1
EnglishChineseTypeLevel
angry生气shēng qìadjA1
excited兴奋的xīng fèn deadjA1
happy快乐kuài lèadjA1
sad伤心shāng xīnadjA1
disappointed失望的shī wàng deadjA2
happiness幸福xìng fúnounA2
joy喜悦xǐ yuènounA2
sadness悲伤bēi shāngnounB1

The rest of this pack is in the app

Emotions Intermediate

A1–B1
EnglishChineseTypeLevel
hungry饿的è deadjA1
peace平静píng jìngnounA1
tired累lèiadjA1
bored无聊wú liáoadjA2
nervous紧张的jǐn zhāng deadjA2
anger愤怒fèn nùnounB1
anxiety焦虑jiāo lǜnounB1
calm冷静lěng jìngadjB1

Emotions Advanced

A2–B2
EnglishChineseTypeLevel
pride骄傲jiāo àonounA2
emotion情感qíng gǎnnounB1
excitement激动jī dòngnounB1
fondness喜爱xǐ àinounB1
gratitude感恩gǎn ēnnounB1
irritate惹恼rě nǎoverbB1
contempt轻蔑qīng miènounB2
empathy同理心tóng lǐ xīnnounB2

More from this pack waits in the app

Complex Emotions

B1–B2
EnglishChineseTypeLevel
admiration钦佩qīn pèinounB1
envy嫉妒jí dùnounB1
guilt内疚nèi jiùnounB1
shame羞愧xiū kuìnounB1
awe敬畏jìng wèinounB2
dread恐惧kǒng jùnounB2
resentment怨恨yuàn hènnounB2
spite恶意è yìnounB2

Positive Emotions

A1–B2
EnglishChineseTypeLevel
pleasure乐趣lè qùnounA1
confidence信心xìn xīnnounB1
delight喜悦xǐ yuènounB1
ecstasy狂喜kuáng xǐnounB1
enthusiasm热情rè qíngnounB1
warmth温暖wēn nuǎnnounB1
contentment满足感mǎn zú gǎnnounB2
optimism乐观lè guānnounB2

Negative Emotions

B1–B2
EnglishChineseTypeLevel
annoyance恼火nǎo huǒnounB1
despair绝望jué wàngnounB1
rage愤怒fèn nùnounB1
sorrow悲哀bēi āinounB1
terror恐怖kǒng bùnounB1
hopelessness无望wú wàngnounB2
loneliness孤独gū dúnounB2
rejection拒绝jù juénounB2

Keep going with this pack in the app

Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0

A sample of the A1–B2 words. The rest are in the app

Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch

These lists show a sample of the A1–B2 words for emotions. The packs in Watch Your Language hold more and reach the advanced levels, along with every other topic.

The app shows them to you a few at a time, in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting.

Common questions

Which Chinese words should I learn for emotions?

You could start with words like 生气 (shēng qì, angry), 快乐 (kuài lè, happy), 伤心 (shāng xīn, sad), 兴奋的 (xīng fèn de, excited). This page lists 48 Chinese words for emotions (A1–B2), each with its English translation and part of speech.

How can I remember these Chinese words?

Reading a list once is rarely enough. Watch Your Language shows Chinese words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and schedules repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.

Are these word lists free?

Yes. The lists on this page are free to read, with no sign-up. The app holds more words for each topic.

More Chinese word lists