How to Say “I am disappointed” in Chinese
Feelings and opinions · HSK 4
"I am disappointed" in Chinese is 我很失望 (Wǒ hěn shīwàng). 失望 (shīwàng) is a heavy word in Chinese; literally 'lose hope'; so using it is stronger than English 'disappointed.' Saying 我对你很失望 (I'm disappointed in you) to a friend or family member lands hard; parents use it when a kid messes up badly.
Primary translation
我很失望
Wǒ hěn shīwàng
Variants by register
Formal
我感到很失望
Wǒ gǎndào hěn shīwàng
Casual
我好失望啊
Wǒ hǎo shīwàng a
When to use it
失望 (shīwàng) is a heavy word in Chinese; literally 'lose hope'; so using it is stronger than English 'disappointed.' Saying 我对你很失望 (I'm disappointed in you) to a friend or family member lands hard; parents use it when a kid messes up badly. For mild letdowns, Chinese speakers prefer 有点可惜 (yǒudiǎn kěxī, 'a bit of a shame') or 没意思 (méi yìsi, 'not interesting/lame'). The 很 isn't 'very' here; it's just the default connector before a single-syllable feeling adjective.
Example sentences
这部电影让我很失望。
Zhè bù diànyǐng ràng wǒ hěn shīwàng.
This movie was really disappointing.
老板对这次的结果感到很失望。
Lǎobǎn duì zhè cì de jiéguǒ gǎndào hěn shīwàng.
The boss is very disappointed with the result this time.
本来很期待的，结果有点可惜。
Běnlái hěn qīdài de, jiéguǒ yǒudiǎn kěxī.
I was really looking forward to it; a bit of a letdown.