Personality Traits in Chinese 性格
xìnggé
Personality in Chinese is 性格 (xìng gé).
Also searched for as: personality, character, kind, shy.
What are you like? 15 essential personality 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 personality in Chinese is 性格 (xìng gé), and asking 他性格怎么样？ (tā xìng gé zěn me yàng) is the natural way to find out what someone is like. These words help you describe friends, family and colleagues, from 善良 (shàn liáng), kind, to 幽默 (yōu mò), funny, a loanword from the English 'humour'. You'll also find useful opposites such as 内向 (nèi xiàng), introverted, and 外向 (wài xiàng), outgoing.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 性格 | xìng gé | personality |
| 善良 | shàn liáng | kind |
| 友好 | yǒu hǎo | friendly |
| 热情 | rè qíng | warm; enthusiastic |
| 内向 | nèi xiàng | introverted |
| 外向 | wài xiàng | extroverted |
| 聪明 | cōng ming | clever |
| 幽默 | yōu mò | funny |
| 认真 | rèn zhēn | serious; conscientious |
| 懒 | lǎn | lazy |
| 耐心 | nài xīn | patient |
| 诚实 | chéng shí | honest |
| 自信 | zì xìn | confident |
| 害羞 | hài xiū | shy |
| 脾气 | pí qi | temper |
Usage tips
- 热情 (rè qíng) is high praise for hosts and describes people who welcome you warmly and enthusiastically; it's warmer and more active than 友好 (yǒu hǎo), friendly.
- 脾气 (pí qi) is temper: 脾气好 (pí qi hǎo) means easy-going, while 脾气不好 or 脾气大 (pí qi dà) means short-tempered.
- 认真 (rèn zhēn) is a compliment meaning conscientious and careful, not 'serious' in the sense of humourless; for a stern, serious person use 严肃 (yán sù).
Common mistakes
- 幽默 (yōu mò) describes a witty person; for a funny joke or film, 好笑 (hǎo xiào) or 搞笑 (gǎo xiào) is more natural than 幽默.
- For 'be patient', learners say 你是耐心; say 要有耐心 (yào yǒu nài xīn) or 耐心点儿 (nài xīn diǎnr).
Mini dialogue
- A你的新同事怎么样？Nǐ de xīn tóng shì zěn me yàng?What's your new colleague like?
- B人很好，很热情，也很幽默。Rén hěn hǎo, hěn rè qíng, yě hěn yōu mò.Really nice, very warm and quite funny too.
- A那你们一定能成为好朋友。Nà nǐ men yī dìng néng chéng wéi hǎo péng you.Then you're bound to become good friends.
- B希望吧。不过我有点儿内向，不太爱说话。Xī wàng ba. Bù guò wǒ yǒu diǎnr nèi xiàng, bù tài ài shuō huà.Hopefully. But I'm a bit introverted and don't talk much.
- A没关系，他性格好，一定会主动找你聊天。Méi guān xi, tā xìng gé hǎo, yī dìng huì zhǔ dòng zhǎo nǐ liáo tiān.Don't worry, he's easy to get on with and he's sure to start chatting to you.
Example sentences
- 他性格很好，大家都喜欢他。He has a lovely personality and everyone likes him.
- 我奶奶是个很善良的人。My grandma is a very kind person.
- 这里的人都很友好。The people here are all very friendly.
- 他们热情地欢迎我们。They welcomed us warmly.
- 她有点儿内向，不太爱说话。She's a bit introverted and doesn't talk much.
- 我哥哥很外向，朋友很多。My older brother is outgoing and has lots of friends.
- 这个孩子真聪明！This child is so clever!
- 我们老师说话很幽默。Our teacher is very funny.
- 她做事非常认真。She's very conscientious in everything she does.
- 他太懒了，从来不做家务。He's so lazy that he never does any housework.
- 妈妈教我的时候很有耐心。Mum is very patient when she teaches me.
- 做人要诚实。You should always be honest.
- 她说英语的时候很自信。She's very confident when she speaks English.
- 小女孩害羞地笑了。The little girl smiled shyly.
- 我爸爸脾气很好。My dad is very good-tempered.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Personality speaking island has 8 everyday questions about personality to prepare your own answers to.