你很漂亮
nǐ hěn piào liang
You are beautiful
你很漂亮 (nǐ hěn piàoliang) is a common and direct way to tell someone "you are beautiful" in Mandarin Chinese. It's generally used to compliment a person's physical appearance.
When to use it
Neutral and direct. It's suitable for friends, partners, or someone you feel comfortable complimenting. For a stronger emphasis, use 你真漂亮 (nǐ zhēn piàoliang), meaning "you are truly beautiful." If you want to compliment someone's overall beauty (including inner beauty or a broader sense of aesthetics), 你很美 (nǐ hěn měi) can be used, as 美 is a more encompassing term for beauty.
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like "nee-HUN-pyao-LYANG." The 你 is a third tone, 很 is a third tone (often lightened before a fourth tone), and 漂亮 is a fourth tone followed by a light (neutral) tone.
Other ways to say it
- 你真漂亮nǐ zhēn piào liangyou are truly beautiful (more emphatic)
- 你长得很漂亮nǐ cháng dé hěn piào liangyou look beautiful (emphasizes natural looks)
- 你很美nǐ hěn měiyou are beautiful (broader term for beauty, can apply to people, art, scenery)
Examples
你很漂亮，我喜欢你的新发型。
nǐ hěn piào liang ， wǒ xǐ huan nǐ de xīn fà xíng 。
You are beautiful, I like your new hairstyle.
哇，你今天很漂亮！
wā ， nǐ jīn tiān hěn piào liang ！
Wow, you are beautiful today!
她不仅很漂亮，而且很善良。
tā bù jǐn hěn piào liang ， ér qiě hěn shàn liáng 。
She is not only beautiful, but also very kind.
Pro tip: While 很 (hěn) literally means "very," in compliments like 你很漂亮, it often just serves to connect the subject and adjective, rather than emphasizing "very." So, it can simply mean "you are beautiful," not necessarily "you are *very* beautiful." For stronger emphasis, use 真 (zhēn, "truly").
Related phrases
我爱你 · I love you爱 · Love我想你 · I miss you
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