Chinese word

幽默

Pronunciation

Pinyinyōu mò

Meaning

  • adjectivehumorous

Example

他很幽默。tā hěn yōu mò

He is very funny.

Illustration for 幽默 (humorous)

More examples

孩子们喜欢那个幽默的老师。hái zi men xǐ huān nà ge yōu mò de lǎo shī

The children like that funny teacher.

Core concept

A light touch of wit that makes a person or remark pleasantly funny without being blunt.

Common phrases

  • 幽默的老师yōu mò de lǎo shī

    funny teacher

  • 对孩子很幽默duì hái zi hěn yōu mò

    be funny with children

Similar words

有趣yǒu qù: Fun and engaging because it sparks interest or curiosity.
好笑hǎo xiào: Funny enough to cause spontaneous laughter when seen or heard.
搞笑gǎo xiào: Comic by design, using deliberately funny behavior or presentation to get laughs.
风趣fēng qù: Charming and witty in words or behavior, with an elegant way of entertaining people.

Definition in Chinese

以含蓄或机智的方式使人发笑或感到愉快的言行。yǐ hán xù huò jī zhì de fāng shì shǐ rén fā xiào huò gǎn dào yú kuài de yán xíng

Word origin

幽默 (yōumò, "humor") is a modern Chinese borrowing based on the sound of English humor, with characters chosen mainly for pronunciation rather than their separate literal meanings.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word often gives warm praise for a person's manner, even when no single joke is being discussed.

Other meanings

  • humornoun

Opposites

  • 无趣wú qùnot interestingadjective

Related words

  • 幽默感yōu mò gǎnsense of humornoun

Word lists with this word