How to Say “I am frustrated” in Chinese
Feelings and opinions · HSK 3
"I am frustrated" in Chinese is 我很烦 (Wǒ hěn fán). Chinese splits 'frustrated' into two distinct feelings: 烦 (fán) is the irritated, fed-up kind ('this is annoying me'), while 沮丧 (jǔsàng) is the deflated, defeated kind ('I tried and failed'). 烦死了 ('annoyed to death') is one of the most common everyday complaints you'll hear in China; at work, in traffic, dealing with bureaucracy.
Primary translation
我很烦
Wǒ hěn fán
Traditional: 我很煩
Variants by register
Formal
我感到很沮丧
Wǒ gǎndào hěn jǔsàng
Casual
烦死了
Fán sǐ le
When to use it
Chinese splits 'frustrated' into two distinct feelings: 烦 (fán) is the irritated, fed-up kind ('this is annoying me'), while 沮丧 (jǔsàng) is the deflated, defeated kind ('I tried and failed'). 烦死了 ('annoyed to death') is one of the most common everyday complaints you'll hear in China; at work, in traffic, dealing with bureaucracy. Don't confuse 烦 with 烦人 (fánrén, 'annoying') which describes the thing causing the frustration, not your feeling. Native speakers also say 我很无语 (wǔyǔ, 'speechless') when frustration tips into resignation.
Example sentences
这个软件总是出问题，我很烦。
Zhège ruǎnjiàn zǒngshì chū wèntí, wǒ hěn fán.
This software keeps crashing; I'm so frustrated.
找了一个小时还没找到停车位，烦死了！
Zhǎo le yí ge xiǎoshí hái méi zhǎodào tíngchēwèi, fán sǐ le!
I've been looking for parking for an hour; so frustrating!
项目失败了，我感到很沮丧。
Xiàngmù shībài le, wǒ gǎndào hěn jǔsàng.
The project failed; I feel really frustrated and defeated.