Alan Park
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How to Say “Funny” in Chinese: 6 Common Words
There are several ways to say “funny” in Chinese. You have 好笑, 可笑, 幽默—and a few more, each with its own specific usage.
Find out all the common words that all mean “funny” in Chinese, with examples so you’ll be clear on when exactly to use them.
Contents
- 1. 好笑 (hǎo xìao)
- 2. 可笑 (kě xiào)
- 3. 幽默 (yōu mò)
- 4. 滑稽 (huá jī)
- 5. 搞笑 (gǎo xiào)
- 6. 逗 (dòu)
- And One More Thing...
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1. 好笑 (hǎo xìao)
This is the most basic, vanilla way to say “funny.“
It can be a neutral or positive word, and it works for most situations that you find funny. If you’re not sure how to say “funny” in Chinese, this is the default word to use!
当他演戏的时候，你会觉得很好笑。
(dāng tā yǎn xì de shí hou, nǐ huì jué de hěn hǎo xiào.)
When he acts, you’ll find it really funny.
这个故事看上去很好笑。
(zhè ge gù shi kàn shàng qù hěn hǎo xiào.)
This looks like a very funny story.
2. 可笑 (kě xiào)
可笑 is typically used for people or incidents that are especially stupid or ridiculous. So don’t confuse it with 好笑—you might insult people around you.
To put it another way, if you call someone 好笑, then you are usually laughing with them. But if you say they’re 可笑, then you’re laughing at them. So typically, when you’re talking to someone, you use 可笑 to refer to a third party so that you and your friend can laugh at them together.
那个论点实在是太可笑，完全没有道理。
(nà gè lùn diǎn shí zài shì tài kě xiào, wán quán méi yǒu dào lǐ.)
That argument is simply ridiculous and makes no sense at all.
他的装扮看起来太可笑了，像是个小丑。
(tā de zhuāng bàn kàn qǐ lái tài kě xiào le, xiàng shì gè xiǎo chǒu.)
His outfit looks too ridiculous, like a clown’s costume.
3. 幽默 (yōu mò)
幽默 is a very different word since it means “humorous.” Like “humorous,” 幽默 sounds more sophisticated. You can think of Mark Twain or Jimmy O. Yang as 幽默 (yōu mò).
幽默 also has a positive tone. You can compliment a person by saying they’re 幽默, which means they’re being witty and good at making people laugh. Of course, you can also describe shows, books and situations as 幽默.
他的幽默感染了每一个人。
(tā de yōu mò gǎn rǎn le měi yí gè rén)
His sense of humor infected everyone.
这个卡片上的笑话很幽默。
(zhè ge kǎ piàn shàng de xiào hua hěn yōu mò.)
The joke on this card is very humorous.
A related word is 幽默感 (yōu mò gǎn), which means “sense of humor.”
4. 滑稽 (huá jī)
滑稽 is a more nuanced word that means something is goofy, silly, or absurd. You can think of it as the Chinese word for “comical.”
滑稽 can describe humor that’s exaggerated or even ridiculous, like funny faces, slapstick comedy or clownish antics. A good example would be a cartoon character who waddles or wears oversized shoes.
孩子模仿大人的样子，真是滑稽极了。
(hái zi mó fǎng dà ren de yàng zi, zhēn shì huá jī jí le.)
The child mimicking the adult is extremely comical.
他穿着一套动物装扮出现，看起来非常滑稽。
(tā chuān zhuó yí tào dòng wù zhuāng bàn chū xiàn, kàn qǐ lái fēi cháng huá jī.)
He showed up wearing an animal costume, looking very amusing.
5. 搞笑 (gǎo xiào)
This is a casual term that means “funny” in a lighthearted way.
Unlike 可笑, it’s not negative or mocking. There’s also a sense of it being done on purpose—搞 means “doing” or “making,” so the phrase literally means “making people laugh.” You can even use it to describe your own silly mistakes.
明星在节目中经常通过搞笑来吸引观众。
(míng xīng zài jié mù zhōng jīng cháng tōng guò gǎo xiào lái xī yǐn guān zhòng.)
Celebrities often engage in funny antics on the show to attract viewers.
我居然把车钥匙锁在车里了，真是搞笑。
(wǒ jū rán bǎ chē yào shi suǒ zài chē lǐ le, zhēn shì gǎo xiào.)
I actually locked my car keys in the car; how ridiculous of me.
6. 逗 (dòu)
逗 is a more playful word for “funny.” It can also describe the act of teasing or joking.
Unlike 搞笑, which implies an active attempt to be funny, 逗 is used more broadly for anything amusing. Friends might say, “别逗了 (bié dòu le) — Stop teasing” to each other, and parents might tell their kids warmly, “我来逗逗你 (wǒ lái dòu dòu nǐ) — I’ll play with you.”
这本漫画书真逗，让人忍不住笑出声来。
(zhè běn màn huà shū zhēn dòu, ràng rén rěn bú zhù xiào chū shēng lái.)
This comic book is really funny; it makes you burst into laughter.
那只小狗太逗了。
(nèi zhī xiǎo gǒu tài dòu le.)
That puppy is so amusing.
As you can see, there are several ways to say “funny” in Chinese. The catch-all word for “funny” is 好笑, but as you get more comfortable with Chinese, you can start trying out the other terms for more nuance. You can also use native media or programs like FluentU to better understand the context of these words.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
While you’re at it, check out Chinese comedy and jokes too so you can understand Chinese humor better.
Hope you enjoyed this post!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
