很 hěn — very; extremely
这道菜很好吃。Zhè dào cài hěn hǎo chī.This dish is very delicious.
Common words: 很是 (hěn shì)、不很 (bù hěn)、得很 (de hěn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "very"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "very", including 很 (hěn), 太 (tài), 精 (jīng), 甚 (shèn), 良 (liáng), 狠 (hěn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "very" covers 8 different Chinese characters — 很 (hěn), 太 (tài), 精 (jīng), 甚 (shèn), 良 (liáng), 狠 (hěn), 蛮 (mán), 煞 (shā / shà) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 8 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hěn, tài, jīng, shèn, liáng, mán, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 很 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 很 hěnvery; extremelyUseful words: 很是, 不很
- 太 tàihighest; greatest; too (much); very; extremelyUseful words: 太阳, 太太
- 精 jīngenergy; perfect; excellent; refined; very; proficientUseful words: 精神, 精彩
- 甚 shènvery; extremely; more (than)Useful words: 甚至, 甚至于
- 良 liánggood; very; very muchUseful words: 良好, 善良
Common words for these 8 "very" characters
Anchor each of these 8 characters in a word you can picture — start with 很 (hěn) — so "very" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
很是hěn shì(formal) very; quite; deeply (usu. followed by a two-syllable adjective or verb)不很bù hěnnot very得很de hěn(after an adjective) very太阳tài yangsun; sunlight; sunshine; temple (on the side of the human head)太太tài taimarried woman; Mrs.; Madam; wife老太太lǎo tài taielderly lady (respectful); esteemed mother精神jīng shénspirit; mind; consciousness; thought精彩jīng cǎiwonderful; marvelous; brilliant精力jīng lìenergy甚至shèn zhìeven; so much so that
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 8 ways to say "very".
太 tài — highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely
这件衣服太大了。Zhè jiàn yī fu tài dà le.This piece of clothing is too big.
Common words: 太阳 (tài yang)、太太 (tài tai)、老太太 (lǎo tài tai)
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)
甚 shèn — very; extremely; more (than)
他对历史甚至比老师还了解。Tā duì lì shǐ shèn zhì bǐ lǎo shī hái liǎo jiě.He understands history even better than the teacher.
Common words: 甚至 (shèn zhì)、甚至于 (shèn zhì yú)、甚是 (shèn shì)
良 liáng — good; very; very much
养成良好的学习习惯很重要。Yǎng chéng liáng hǎo de xué xí xí guàn hěn zhòng yào.Developing good study habits is important.
Common words: 良好 (liáng hǎo)、善良 (shàn liáng)、优良 (yōu liáng)
狠 hěn — fierce; very
为了实现目标，他狠下心来努力训练。Wèi le shí xiàn mù biāo, tā hěn xià xīn lái nǔ lì xùn liàn.To achieve his goal, he steeled himself and trained hard.
Common words: 狠心 (hěn xīn)、凶狠 (xiōng hěn)、狠命 (hěn mìng)
蛮 mán — barbarian; bullying; very; quite; rough; reckless
这道题蛮难的，我做了好久。Zhè dào tí mán nán de, wǒ zuò le hǎo jiǔ.This problem is quite hard; I worked on it for a long time.
Common words: 野蛮 (yě mán)、蛮子 (mán zi)、蛮力 (mán lì)
煞 shā / shà — decrease; tighten; baleful; bring to a stop; very
花园里开满了鲜花，煞是好看。Huā yuán lǐ kāi mǎn le xiān huā, shà shì hǎo kàn.The garden is full of flowers, which is really lovely.
Common words: 煞是 (shà shì)、煞到 (shà dào)、煞气 (shā qì)
All 8 characters
Open 很、太、精 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.