精 jīng — energy; perfect; excellent; refined; very; proficient
这件工艺品做得很精致。Zhè jiàn gōng yì pǐn zuò de hěn jīng zhì.This handicraft is made very exquisitely.
Common words: 精神 (jīng shén)、精彩 (jīng cǎi)、精力 (jīng lì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "excellent"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "excellent", including 精 (jīng), 优 (yōu), 佳 (jiā), 嘉 (jiā). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "excellent" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 精 (jīng), 优 (yōu), 佳 (jiā), 嘉 (jiā) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jīng, yōu, jiā — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 精 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 精 jīngenergy; perfect; excellent; refined; very; proficientUseful words: 精神, 精彩
- 优 yōuexcellent; superiorUseful words: 优势, 优点
- 佳 jiāexcellentUseful words: 最佳, 佳肴
- 嘉 jiāexcellentUseful words: 嘉宾, 嘉年华
Common words for these 4 "excellent" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 精 (jīng) — so "excellent" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
精神jīng shénspirit; mind; consciousness; thought精彩jīng cǎiwonderful; marvelous; brilliant精力jīng lìenergy优势yōu shìsuperiority; dominance; advantage优点yōu diǎnmerit; benefit; strong point; advantage优秀yōu xiùoutstanding; excellent最佳zuì jiāoptimum; optimal; peak; best (athlete, movie etc)佳肴jiā yáofine food; delicacies; delicious food佳节jiā jiéfestive day; holiday嘉宾jiā bīnesteemed guest; honored guest; guest (on a show)
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 4 ways to say "excellent".
优 yōu — excellent; superior
他的成绩一直很优秀。Tā de chéng jì yì zhí hěn yōu xiù.His grades have always been excellent.
Common words: 优势 (yōu shì)、优点 (yōu diǎn)、优秀 (yōu xiù)
佳 jiā — excellent
这部电影的口碑非常好，是一部佳作。Zhè bù diàn yǐng de kǒu bēi fēi cháng hǎo, shì yí bù jiā zuò.This movie is well-received and is a fine work.
Common words: 最佳 (zuì jiā)、佳肴 (jiā yáo)、佳节 (jiā jié)
嘉 jiā — excellent
他的表现获得了老师的嘉奖。Tā de biǎo xiàn huò dé le lǎo shī de jiā jiǎng.His performance earned praise from the teacher.
Common words: 嘉宾 (jiā bīn)、嘉年华 (jiā nián huá)、嘉会 (jiā huì)
All 4 characters
Open 精、优、佳 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.