Meaning of 难过
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to feel sad
- to feel unwell
- (of life) to be difficult
How to use 难过
难过 is the everyday word for feeling sad or upset, and it can also mean feeling physically unwell or having a hard life. It often follows 很 or 有点儿. Example: 听到这个消息，我很难过。(Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, wǒ hěn nánguò.) I was very sad to hear this news.
难 (nán) means hard and 过 (guò) means to pass through, so 难过 is a time that is hard to get through. When you feel sad, the day is hard to pass.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 难过 with 难受 (nánshòu). 难受 leans more toward physical discomfort, while 难过 is most often emotional sadness. Also keep the tones clear: nán is second tone and guò is fourth tone.
难过 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
难 nán · difficult · 10 strokes
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过 guò · to cross · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 难过.
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage |
| 过去 | guòqù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 通过 | tōngguò | to pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation) |
| 经过 | jīngguò | to pass; to go through |
| 超过 | chāoguò | to surpass; to exceed |
| 见过 | jiànguo | |
| 难受 | nánshòu | to feel unwell; to suffer pain |
| 走过 | zǒuguò | to walk past; to pass by |
| 难看 | nánkàn | ugly; unsightly |
| 难题 | nántí | difficult problem |
| 难听 | nántīng | unpleasant to hear; coarse |
Questions about 难过
What does 难过 mean?
难过 (nánguò) means "to feel sad; to feel unwell" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 难过?
难过 is made of 2 characters: 难 (10 strokes), 过 (6 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 难过 an HSK word?
Yes. 难过 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 难过 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 难过 is written 難過.
Can 难过 mean something is hard to cross or pass?
Yes, in some contexts it is read literally as hard to pass, as in 这条河很难过 (this river is hard to cross). The context tells you which meaning is meant.
How do I tell someone not to be sad using 难过?
Say 别难过 (bié nánguò) or 不要难过 (búyào nánguò). Both mean don't be sad and are common ways to comfort someone.