弱 ruò — weak; feeble; young; inferior
他生病以后身体变得很虚弱。Tā shēng bìng yǐ hòu shēn tǐ biàn de hěn xū ruò.After getting sick, he became very weak.
Common words: 薄弱 (bó ruò)、脆弱 (cuì ruò)、弱点 (ruò diǎn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "weak"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "weak", including 弱 (ruò), 淡 (dàn), 衰 (shuāi / cuī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "weak" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 弱 (ruò), 淡 (dàn), 衰 (shuāi / cuī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ruò, dàn, shuāi, cuī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 弱 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 弱 ruòweak; feeble; young; inferiorUseful words: 薄弱, 脆弱
- 淡 dàninsipid; diluted; weak; light in color; tasteless; freshUseful words: 清淡, 冷淡
- 衰 shuāi / cuīmourning garments; weak; feeble; decline; waneUseful words: 衰老, 衰退
Common words for these 3 "weak" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 弱 (ruò) — so "weak" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
薄弱bó ruòweak; frail脆弱cuì ruòweak; frail弱点ruò diǎnweak point; failing清淡qīng dànlight (of food, not greasy or strongly flavored); insipid; slack (sales)冷淡lěng dàncold; indifferent淡水dàn shuǐfreshwater衰老shuāi lǎoto age; to deteriorate with age; old and weak衰退shuāi tuìto decline; to fall; to drop; to falter衰竭shuāi jiéorgan failure; exhaustion; prostration (medicine)
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 3 ways to say "weak".
淡 dàn — insipid; diluted; weak; light in color; tasteless; fresh
这道汤味道有点儿淡，再加点儿盐吧。Zhè dào tāng wèi dào yǒu diǎnr dàn, zài jiā diǎnr yán ba.This soup tastes a bit bland; add some more salt.
Common words: 清淡 (qīng dàn)、冷淡 (lěng dàn)、淡水 (dàn shuǐ)
衰 shuāi / cuī — mourning garments; weak; feeble; decline; wane
人老了，身体会渐渐衰老。Rén lǎo le, shēn tǐ huì jiàn jiàn shuāi lǎo.As people age, their bodies gradually grow old.
Common words: 衰老 (shuāi lǎo)、衰退 (shuāi tuì)、衰竭 (shuāi jié)
All 3 characters
Open 弱、淡、衰 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.