Languages › Mandarin How to Say and Write "Good" in Chinese Why Does 好 Mean Good? Print Mandarin Understanding Chinese Characters Mandarin History and Culture Pronunciation Vocabulary By Qiu Gui Su Qiu Gui Su Chinese Language Expert Qiu Gui Su is a native Mandarin speaker who has taught Mandarin Chinese for over 20 years. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on March 18, 2017 "Good" is 好 (hǎo) in Chinese. Although that is a common translation of 好, this Chinese character is also used in a variety of manners and meanings. Radicals The Mandarin Chinese character 好 (hǎo) consists of two radicals: 女 (nǔ) and 子 (zǐ). 女 means girl, woman, or daughter. 子 means child or son. Speculations as to why the combination of these two characters means "woman" include the by now outdated idea that it is good for women to have a child, that the love between a woman and a man is good, or that the manner of girls are or should be good. Pronunciation 好 (hǎo) is spoken in the third tone. This implies starting the syllable at a high pitch, lowering the pitch, then raising it again. Read More How to Say "Hello" and Other Greetings in Mandarin Chinese By Qiu Gui Su Multiple Meanings Translating the English word for "good" to Chinese brings us the character, 好. However, translating 好 into English leads to a variety of different definitions. While 好 can mean "good", it can also mean nice, friendly, done, easy, fine, prefer, very, or something completely different depending on the context and other Chinese characters 好 is paired with. Mandarin Vocabulary with Hǎo Here are a few examples of how 好 can take on other definitions: 你好 (nǐ hǎo) - Hello 好吃 (hǎo chī) - Tasty; delicious 好看 (hǎo kàn) - Pretty; attractive 好聽 (hǎo tīng) - Pleasant to the ear; sounds nice 好久 (hǎo jiǔ) - A while; a long time 好像 (hǎo xiàng) - Very similar; look alike 好笑 (hǎo xiào) - Funny 爱好 (ài hào) - Hobby Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Su, Qiu Gui. "How to Say and Write "Good" in Chinese." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/good-hao-chinese-character-profile-2278373. Su, Qiu Gui. (2023, April 5). How to Say and Write "Good" in Chinese. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/good-hao-chinese-character-profile-2278373 Su, Qiu Gui. "How to Say and Write "Good" in Chinese." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/good-hao-chinese-character-profile-2278373 (accessed April 24, 2024). copy citation