难看

• Pinyin: nán kàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 难 (nán) — difficult; 看 (kàn) — to look at, to see

Meaning

Ugly; unattractive; embarrassing. Describes something unpleasant to look at or a situation that causes loss of face.

Used for physical appearance (an ugly outfit, bad handwriting) and also for embarrassing social situations — 面子上很难看 (looks bad/embarrassing in terms of face). The opposite is 好看 (good-looking).

Examples

1. 这件衣服的颜色真难看。 The colour of this outfit is really ugly.
2. 他写的字很难看。 His handwriting is very ugly.
3. 在大家面前出错太难看了。 Making a mistake in front of everyone is so embarrassing.

Usage Guide

Context: appearance, criticism, everyday

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 这个颜色太难看了。(This colour is really ugly.)
• 她觉得自己拍的照片很难看。(She thinks the photos she took look bad.)

Don't Say

• 不要当面对别人说'你很难看' (Don't tell someone to their face 你很难看 — it's very rude; use gentler phrasing like 不太好看)

Origin & History

Compound of 难 (difficult) and 看 (to look at). Literally 'difficult to look at', meaning unpleasant to the eye or embarrassing to witness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal