How do you say "gloomy" in Chinese?

阴郁

yīn yù

Adjective Hanzi

In Chinese, "gloomy" is 阴郁 (yīn yù).

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Pronunciation

Native speakers give yīn yù "yīn" held flat and high (first tone), then "yù" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

天气阴沉而阴沉。

tiān qì yīn chén ér yīn chén 。

The weather was grey and gloomy.

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How to remember 阴郁

Say "yīn yù" and picture gloomy at the exact same moment — that snapshot is your anchor for the word.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 阴郁

How do you pronounce 阴郁?

Native speakers give yīn yù "yīn" held flat and high (first tone), then "yù" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Is 阴郁 formal or casual?

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

How is 阴郁 used in Chinese?

阴郁 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 天气阴沉而阴沉。 (The weather was grey and gloomy.).

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.

"Gloomy" in other languages

Curated by Callan 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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