How do you say "cowardly" in Chinese?

懦弱

nuò ruò

Adjective Hanzi

In Chinese, "cowardly" is 懦弱 (nuò ruò).

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Pronunciation

nuò ruò is voiced with "nuò" snapped down sharply (fourth tone), then "ruò" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Writing and usage

懦弱 is written using hanzi. It's a adjective, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

逃跑是懦弱的。

táo pǎo shì nuò ruò de 。

It was cowardly to run away.

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How to remember 懦弱

Turn "nuò ruò" into a tiny story about cowardly — the sillier the mental image, the faster it sticks.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 懦弱

How do you pronounce 懦弱?

nuò ruò is voiced with "nuò" snapped down sharply (fourth tone), then "ruò" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Is 懦弱 formal or casual?

懦弱 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 懦弱 used in Chinese?

懦弱 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 逃跑是懦弱的。 (It was cowardly to run away.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Cowardly" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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