How do you say "dull" in Chinese?

无聊

wú liáo

Adjective Hanzi

In Chinese, "dull" is 无聊 (wú liáo).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

wú liáo lands correctly when you use "wú" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "liáo" pushed upward like a question (second tone).

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

那把旧刀刃钝了。

nà bǎ jiù dāo rèn dùn le 。

The old knife had a dull edge.

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How to remember 无聊

"wú liáo" sounds a little like "woo lyahoh" in English, so picture dull to lock in the connection.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 无聊

How do you pronounce 无聊?

wú liáo lands correctly when you use "wú" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "liáo" pushed upward like a question (second tone).

Is 无聊 formal or casual?

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

How is 无聊 used in Chinese?

无聊 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 那把旧刀刃钝了。 (The old knife had a dull edge.).

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.

"Dull" 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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