秀 xiù — handsome; elegant
她不但成绩好，而且很秀气。Tā bú dàn chéng jì hǎo, ér qiě hěn xiù qì.She not only gets good grades but is also delicate and graceful.
Common words: 优秀 (yōu xiù)、秀丽 (xiù lì)、秀美 (xiù měi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "elegant"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "elegant", including 秀 (xiù), 雅 (yǎ), 漂 (piāo / piǎo / piào), 娜 (nà / nuó), 郁 (yù). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "elegant" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 秀 (xiù), 雅 (yǎ), 漂 (piāo / piǎo / piào), 娜 (nà / nuó), 郁 (yù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiù, yǎ, piāo, piǎo, piào, nà, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 秀 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 秀 xiùhandsome; elegantUseful words: 优秀, 秀丽
- 雅 yǎelegantUseful words: 文雅, 优雅
- 漂 piāo / piǎo / piàoto float; to drift; to bleach; elegant; polishedUseful words: 漂亮, 漂浮
- 娜 nà / nuóelegant; gracefulUseful words: 卡洛娜, 袅娜
- 郁 yù(surname); elegant; dense (growth); melancholyUseful words: 忧郁, 抑郁
Common words for these 5 "elegant" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 秀 (xiù) — so "elegant" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
优秀yōu xiùoutstanding; excellent秀丽xiù lìpretty; beautiful秀美xiù měielegant; graceful文雅wén yǎelegant; refined优雅yōu yǎgrace; graceful高雅gāo yǎdainty; elegance; elegant漂亮piào liangpretty; beautiful漂浮piāo fúto float; to hover; to drift (also fig., to lead a wandering life); to rove长漂cháng piāorafting on the Yangtze River卡洛娜kǎ luò nàcalzone (Italian pocket), folded pizza
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "elegant".
雅 yǎ — elegant
这间屋子布置得很优雅。Zhè jiān wū zi bù zhì de hěn yōu yǎ.This room is decorated elegantly.
Common words: 文雅 (wén yǎ)、优雅 (yōu yǎ)、高雅 (gāo yǎ)
漂 piāo / piǎo / piào — to float; to drift; to bleach; elegant; polished
这条裙子真漂亮。Zhè tiáo qún zi zhēn piào liang.This dress is really pretty.
Common words: 漂亮 (piào liang)、漂浮 (piāo fú)、长漂 (cháng piāo)
娜 nà / nuó — elegant; graceful
我的同学安娜来自俄罗斯。Wǒ de tóng xué Ān nà lái zì É luó sī.My classmate Anna is from Russia.
Common words: 卡洛娜 (kǎ luò nà)、袅娜 (niǎo nuó)、婀娜 (ē nuó)
郁 yù — (surname); elegant; dense (growth); melancholy
这件事让他心里十分郁闷。Zhè jiàn shì ràng tā xīn lǐ shí fēn yù mèn.This matter made him very depressed.
Common words: 忧郁 (yōu yù)、抑郁 (yì yù)、抑郁症 (yì yù zhèng)
All 5 characters
Open 秀、雅、漂 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.