Chinese phrases
How to say cold in Chinese
Cold in Chinese is 冷 (lěng) for the weather and for how you feel: 我好冷, “I’m cold.” An iced drink is 冰 (bīng), and a cold you catch is 感冒 (gǎn mào).
冷
cold
Ways to say cold
冷
Everydaycold
For the weather, a room, or your body: 今天好冷, “it’s so cold today.”
冻死了
With friendsI’m freezing!
Literally “frozen to death.” 冷死了 means the same.
凉
Everydaycool; gone cold
For food that was hot: 饭凉了, “the food’s gone cold.” For pleasant cool weather, people say 凉快.
冰
Everydayiced; chilled
For drinks from the fridge or with ice: 冰可乐, “an iced Coke.” When you order, ask for 冰的.
感冒
Everydaya cold
The illness: 我感冒了, “I’ve caught a cold.”
冷淡
Everydaycold; distant
For how someone treats you: 他对我很冷淡, “he’s cold toward me.”
高冷
With friendsaloof
Casual, from the internet: someone cool and hard to approach, who rarely smiles. Often half a compliment.
When it gets cold
多穿点
wear more layers
What parents and grandparents say as soon as the weather turns.
别着凉
don’t catch a chill
Said to someone who sits by an open window or goes out with wet hair.
好暖和
nice and warm
When you come in from the cold.
Common mistakes
Saying 我有冷 for “I have a cold”
Chinese does not use 冷 for the illness. Say 我感冒了.
Asking for 冷水 for a cold drink
In a restaurant or a shop, ask for 冰的, “iced,” or 冰水, “ice water.” 冷水 is plain unheated water, often from the tap, and few people in China drink tap water without boiling it.
Calling a person 冷
Out of context, 他很冷 means he feels cold. For a distant person, say 他很冷淡; for aloof, 高冷.
Before going out
今天很冷，多穿点。
Mom: It’s cold today. Wear more layers.
我不冷。
Son: I’m not cold.
别着凉了，感冒了怎么办？
Mom: Don’t catch a chill. What if you get a cold?
好吧好吧。
Son: OK, OK.
More Chinese phrases
- Hot热 · rè
- Water水 · shuǐ
- I’m sick我生病了 · wǒ shēng bìng le
- Get well soon早日康复 · zǎo rì kāng fù
- Take care保重 · bǎo zhòng
- Cool酷 · kù
