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.
| English | Chinese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| angry | 生气shēng qì | adj | A1 |
| excited | 兴奋的xīng fèn de | adj | A1 |
| happy | 快乐kuài lè | adj | A1 |
| sad | 伤心shāng xīn | adj | A1 |
| disappointed | 失望的shī wàng de | adj | A2 |
| happiness | 幸福xìng fú | noun | A2 |
| joy | 喜悦xǐ yuè | noun | A2 |
| sadness | 悲伤bēi shāng | noun | B1 |
| English | Chinese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| hungry | 饿的è de | adj | A1 |
| peace | 平静píng jìng | noun | A1 |
| tired | 累lèi | adj | A1 |
| bored | 无聊wú liáo | adj | A2 |
| nervous | 紧张的jǐn zhāng de | adj | A2 |
| anger | 愤怒fèn nù | noun | B1 |
| anxiety | 焦虑jiāo lǜ | noun | B1 |
| calm | 冷静lěng jìng | adj | B1 |
| English | Chinese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| pride | 骄傲jiāo ào | noun | A2 |
| emotion | 情感qíng gǎn | noun | B1 |
| excitement | 激动jī dòng | noun | B1 |
| fondness | 喜爱xǐ ài | noun | B1 |
| gratitude | 感恩gǎn ēn | noun | B1 |
| irritate | 惹恼rě nǎo | verb | B1 |
| contempt | 轻蔑qīng miè | noun | B2 |
| empathy | 同理心tóng lǐ xīn | noun | B2 |
| English | Chinese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| admiration | 钦佩qīn pèi | noun | B1 |
| envy | 嫉妒jí dù | noun | B1 |
| guilt | 内疚nèi jiù | noun | B1 |
| shame | 羞愧xiū kuì | noun | B1 |
| awe | 敬畏jìng wèi | noun | B2 |
| dread | 恐惧kǒng jù | noun | B2 |
| resentment | 怨恨yuàn hèn | noun | B2 |
| spite | 恶意è yì | noun | B2 |
| English | Chinese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| pleasure | 乐趣lè qù | noun | A1 |
| confidence | 信心xìn xīn | noun | B1 |
| delight | 喜悦xǐ yuè | noun | B1 |
| ecstasy | 狂喜kuáng xǐ | noun | B1 |
| enthusiasm | 热情rè qíng | noun | B1 |
| warmth | 温暖wēn nuǎn | noun | B1 |
| contentment | 满足感mǎn zú gǎn | noun | B2 |
| optimism | 乐观lè guān | noun | B2 |
| English | Chinese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| annoyance | 恼火nǎo huǒ | noun | B1 |
| despair | 绝望jué wàng | noun | B1 |
| rage | 愤怒fèn nù | noun | B1 |
| sorrow | 悲哀bēi āi | noun | B1 |
| terror | 恐怖kǒng bù | noun | B1 |
| hopelessness | 无望wú wàng | noun | B2 |
| loneliness | 孤独gū dú | noun | B2 |
| rejection | 拒绝jù jué | noun | B2 |
Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0
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.
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.
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.
Yes. The lists on this page are free to read, with no sign-up. The app holds more words for each topic.