How to Say “I am nostalgic” in Chinese
Feelings and opinions · HSK 4
"I am nostalgic" in Chinese is 我很怀旧 (wǒ hěn huáijiù). 怀旧 (huáijiù) literally means 'to cherish the old' and maps almost perfectly onto English 'nostalgic'. You use it both as a personality trait (我是个怀旧的人; I'm a nostalgic person) and a mood (我今天很怀旧).
Primary translation
我很怀旧
wǒ hěn huáijiù
Traditional: 我很懷舊
When to use it
怀旧 (huáijiù) literally means 'to cherish the old' and maps almost perfectly onto English 'nostalgic'. You use it both as a personality trait (我是个怀旧的人; I'm a nostalgic person) and a mood (我今天很怀旧). For a specific feeling of missing the past or a person, 想念 (xiǎngniàn) or 怀念 (huáiniàn) is closer; 怀念 carries more weight and is often used about people or times gone by, while 怀旧 has a warmer, more wistful feel and is popular in music and film marketing. In Taiwan the same word 懷舊 is used, often with a strong association with 80s/90s pop culture.
Example sentences
听到这首老歌我就很怀旧。
Tīngdào zhè shǒu lǎo gē wǒ jiù hěn huáijiù.
Hearing this old song makes me nostalgic.
我是个怀旧的人，喜欢看老照片。
Wǒ shì ge huáijiù de rén, xǐhuān kàn lǎo zhàopiàn.
I'm a nostalgic person, I love looking at old photos.
我很怀念大学时代的朋友。
Wǒ hěn huáiniàn dàxué shídài de péngyǒu.
I'm nostalgic for my college friends.