Giving compliments in Chinese 夸人
kuā rén
Praise in Chinese is 夸奖 (kuā jiǎng).
Also searched for as: compliment, praise, flattery, saying nice things, how to compliment someone.
Saying nice things, and taking them graciously. 15 essential giving compliments words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
To compliment someone in Chinese is 夸 (kuā), and knowing how to give and receive praise is a big part of sounding natural. Easy compliments include 你真棒 (nǐ zhēn bàng), you're amazing, and 好厉害 (hǎo lì hai), so impressive. Just as important is the reply: the traditional modest answer is 哪里哪里 (nǎ li nǎ li), "oh, not at all", though many younger people simply say 谢谢 (xiè xie).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 夸 | kuā | to praise; to compliment |
| 夸奖 | kuā jiǎng | praise; to compliment |
| 你真棒 | nǐ zhēn bàng | you're amazing |
| 好厉害 | hǎo lì hai | so impressive |
| 好看 | hǎo kàn | good-looking; nice |
| 气色 | qì sè | complexion; how well someone looks |
| 有眼光 | yǒu yǎn guāng | to have good taste |
| 颜值 | yán zhí | looks; attractiveness |
| 绝了 | jué le | amazing; out of this world (slang) |
| 佩服 | pèi fú | to admire |
| 哪里哪里 | nǎ li nǎ li | oh, not at all (modest reply) |
| 过奖了 | guò jiǎng le | you flatter me |
| 还差得远 | hái chà de yuǎn | still a long way to go |
| 夸张 | kuā zhāng | exaggerated; over the top |
| 拍马屁 | pāi mǎ pì | to suck up; to brown-nose |
Usage tips
- 气色真好 (qì sè zhēn hǎo), you look really well, is a warm, safe compliment, especially for older people, because it praises health rather than looks.
- 有眼光 (yǒu yǎn guāng), to have good taste, is ideal for praising someone's choice of gift, clothes or restaurant: 你真有眼光！ (nǐ zhēn yǒu yǎn guāng!).
- With a boss or an elder, 您过奖了 (nín guò jiǎng le), you flatter me, is a polite way to accept praise; 哪里哪里 can sound a little old-fashioned or jokey coming from young people.
Common mistakes
- Accepting praise with 我知道 (wǒ zhī dào), "I know", sounds arrogant → deflect a little with 过奖了 (guò jiǎng le) or 还差得远呢 (hái chà de yuǎn ne), I've still got a long way to go.
- Calling a man 漂亮 (piào liang): it's mainly for women and things → for men say 帅 (shuài), handsome, while 好看 (hǎo kàn) works for anyone.
- Mixing up 夸奖 (kuā jiǎng), praise, and 夸张 (kuā zhāng), exaggerated → 谢谢你的夸奖 thanks someone for a compliment, but 你太夸张了 tells them they're over the top.
Mini dialogue
- A这道菜是你做的？绝了！Zhè dào cài shì nǐ zuò de? Jué le!You made this dish? It's out of this world!
- B哪里哪里，就是随便做的。Nǎ li nǎ li, jiù shì suí biàn zuò de.Oh, not at all, I just threw it together.
- A别谦虚了，你真棒！Bié qiān xū le, nǐ zhēn bàng!Don't be modest, you're brilliant!
- B你过奖了。你今天气色真好啊！Nǐ guò jiǎng le. Nǐ jīn tiān qì sè zhēn hǎo a!You're too kind. You're looking really well today!
- A谢谢，最近每天都跑步。Xiè xie, zuì jìn měi tiān dōu pǎo bù.Thanks, I've been running every day lately.
Example sentences
- 老板今天夸我了！The boss praised me today!
- 谢谢你的夸奖。Thanks for the compliment.
- 你真棒，一次就考过了！You're amazing, passing first time!
- 你会说五种语言？好厉害！You speak five languages? That's so impressive!
- 你这件衣服真好看。That top of yours is really nice.
- 你今天气色真好。You're looking really well today.
- 这个包你选的？真有眼光！You picked this bag? Great taste!
- 他颜值很高，还很会穿衣服。He's really good-looking, and he dresses well too.
- 你做的这道菜绝了！This dish you made is out of this world!
- 我真佩服你的毅力。I really admire your willpower.
- 哪里哪里，我还差得远呢。Oh, not at all, I've still got a long way to go.
- 您过奖了，我做得还不够好。You're too kind, I could still do better.
- 我的中文还差得远呢。My Chinese still has a long way to go.
- 没那么夸张吧！Come on, you're exaggerating!
- 别拍马屁了，我不会给你加薪的。Stop sucking up, I'm not giving you a pay rise.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Giving compliments speaking island has 8 everyday questions about giving compliments to prepare your own answers to.