凉快

• Pinyin: liáng kuai
• Hanzi breakdown: 凉 (liáng) = 冫(ice) + 京 (phonetic); 快 (kuai) — pleasant, comfortable

Meaning

Pleasantly cool; nice and cool. Describes a comfortably cool temperature.

Unlike 凉 which can mean unpleasantly cold, 凉快 always suggests a pleasant, refreshing coolness. Often used to describe relief from summer heat, such as air-conditioned rooms, breezy evenings, or shady spots.

Examples

1. 开了空调，房间里很凉快。 The room is nice and cool with the air conditioning on.
2. 到了晚上就凉快了。 It cools down in the evening.
3. 树下面很凉快，我们去那里坐吧。 It's nice and cool under the tree — let's go sit there.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, summer, everyday

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 今天比昨天凉快多了。(Today is much cooler than yesterday.)
• 下了雨以后凉快了。(It cooled down after the rain.)

Don't Say

• 不要在冬天说'很凉快' (Don't use 凉快 in winter — it describes pleasant coolness in warm weather; in cold weather, say 冷 instead)

Origin & History

Compound of 凉 (cool) and 快 (pleasant, comfortable). 快 here retains its older meaning of 'pleasant' rather than the modern meaning of 'fast.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal