Appearance (Describing People) in Chinese 外貌
wàimào
Appearance in Chinese is 外貌 (wài mào).
Also searched for as: tall short, beautiful, looks, describe someone.
What do you look like? 15 essential appearance words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for appearance in Chinese is 外貌 (wài mào), but the phrase you'll use most is 长得 (zhǎng de), to look, as in 你长得像你妈妈, you look like your mum. These words help you describe people, from 高 (gāo), tall, to 瘦 (shòu), slim, and pay compliments with 漂亮 (piào liang), pretty, and 帅 (shuài), handsome. Note that 长 here is zhǎng, to grow, not cháng, long.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 外貌 | wài mào | appearance |
| 长得 | zhǎng de | to look (like) |
| 漂亮 | piào liang | pretty |
| 帅 | shuài | handsome |
| 好看 | hǎo kàn | good-looking |
| 高 | gāo | tall |
| 矮 | ǎi | short |
| 胖 | pàng | fat |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin |
| 年轻 | nián qīng | young |
| 老 | lǎo | old |
| 头发 | tóu fa | hair |
| 长发 | cháng fà | long hair |
| 短发 | duǎn fà | short hair |
| 眼镜 | yǎn jìng | glasses |
Usage tips
- 长得 (zhǎng de) plus an adjective describes features someone was born with, as in 长得很高; for how someone looks right now, use 看起来 (kàn qǐ lái): 你看起来很累.
- Remarks about weight are more common in Chinese conversation than in the UK or US: 你瘦了 (nǐ shòu le), you've lost weight, is a compliment, and older relatives may say 你胖了 (nǐ pàng le) as a neutral observation.
- Height is given in metres with 米 (mǐ): 一米七五 (yī mǐ qī wǔ) means 1.75 metres, and 个子 (gè zi), build or stature, is the usual word: 他个子很高.
Common mistakes
- 'Wear glasses' is 戴眼镜 (dài yǎn jìng), not 穿眼镜; 穿 (chuān) is for clothes and shoes, while 戴 is for glasses, hats and jewellery.
- 你看起来很老 sounds blunt; to be tactful about age say 年纪大 (nián jì dà), older, or compliment someone with 你看起来很年轻 (nǐ kàn qǐ lái hěn nián qīng).
Mini dialogue
- A你男朋友长什么样？Nǐ nán péng you zhǎng shén me yàng?What does your boyfriend look like?
- B他个子很高，有一米八五，戴眼镜。Tā gè zi hěn gāo, yǒu yī mǐ bā wǔ, dài yǎn jìng.He's very tall, 1.85 metres, and he wears glasses.
- A帅吗？Shuài ma?Is he handsome?
- B我觉得很帅！他长得有点儿像一个明星。Wǒ jué de hěn shuài! Tā zhǎng de yǒu diǎnr xiàng yī ge míng xīng.I think so! He looks a bit like a film star.
Example sentences
- 不要只看一个人的外貌。Don't judge someone only by their appearance.
- 你长得很像你妈妈。You look a lot like your mum.
- 你今天真漂亮！You look really pretty today!
- 她男朋友很帅。Her boyfriend is very handsome.
- 这个演员长得很好看。This actor is very good-looking.
- 他个子很高，一米九。He's very tall, 1.9 metres.
- 我比姐姐矮一点儿。I'm a bit shorter than my older sister.
- 小时候我有点儿胖。I was a bit chubby as a child.
- 你最近瘦了！You've lost weight lately!
- 你看起来很年轻。You look very young.
- 我爷爷老了，头发都白了。My grandpa has got old and his hair has gone white.
- 她的头发又黑又长。Her hair is long and black.
- 我妹妹留着长发。My younger sister has long hair.
- 你留短发很好看。Short hair really suits you.
- 戴眼镜的那个人是我哥哥。The man wearing glasses is my older brother.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Appearance speaking island has 8 everyday questions about appearance to prepare your own answers to.