好多

• Pinyin: hǎo duō
• Hanzi breakdown: 好 = here used as an adverb meaning 'very, quite'; 多 = pictograph of two moons — 'many'

Meaning

A lot; many; quite a few. Expresses a large quantity with a colloquial, emphatic tone.

More emphatic and colloquial than 很多. Often expresses surprise or emphasis at the quantity. Very common in spoken Chinese.

Examples

1. 今天来了好多人。 A lot of people came today.
2. 我有好多作业要做。 I have a lot of homework to do.
3. 超市里有好多好吃的东西。 There are so many delicious things in the supermarket.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken conversation, expressing quantity, emphasis

Tone: emphatic, casual

Do Say

• 好多年没见了！(Haven't seen you in ages!)
• 他买了好多水果。(He bought a lot of fruit.)

Don't Say

• 在正式写作中少用好多 — in formal or academic writing, prefer 很多 or 许多 over the colloquial 好多.

Origin & History

Compound of 好 (very, quite — as an intensifier) and 多 (many, much), meaning 'quite a lot.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal