How to Say “I am sad” in Chinese
Feelings and opinions · HSK 2
"I am sad" in Chinese is 我很难过 (Wǒ hěn nánguò). 难过 (nánguò) literally means 'hard to pass through' and describes emotional sadness; the heavy, heartache kind, not just mild disappointment. Chinese people rarely say 我难过 without 很 or 好 in front; bare adjectives sound incomplete or implicitly comparative.
Primary translation
我很难过
Wǒ hěn nánguò
Traditional: 我很難過
Variants by register
Casual
我好难过
Wǒ hǎo nánguò
When to use it
难过 (nánguò) literally means 'hard to pass through' and describes emotional sadness; the heavy, heartache kind, not just mild disappointment. Chinese people rarely say 我难过 without 很 or 好 in front; bare adjectives sound incomplete or implicitly comparative. 好 is more emotional and colloquial than 很 and is common among younger speakers and women. For lighter disappointment use 失望 (shīwàng). Avoid 悲伤 (bēishāng) in casual talk; it's too literary, used in songs and novels.
Example sentences
听到这个消息我很难过。
Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi wǒ hěn nánguò.
I'm very sad to hear this news.
他走了以后，我好难过。
Tā zǒu le yǐhòu, wǒ hǎo nánguò.
After he left, I felt so sad.
别难过，明天会更好。
Bié nánguò, míngtiān huì gèng hǎo.
Don't be sad, tomorrow will be better.