# How to say “you're ugly” in Chinese

> The mildest way to say “you're ugly” in Chinese is 不太好看 (bú tài hǎo kàn), “not that good-looking”. The strongest is 丑八怪 (chǒu bā guài), “ugly monster”. Here are all 5, ranked mild to strong, with pinyin and when to use each one.

Source: https://lanlanchinese.com/how-to-say/ugly-in-chinese (updated 2026-10-18)

1. **不太好看** (bú tài hǎo kàn) (strength 1/5): not that good-looking. The polite version. Still hurts.
2. **难看** (nán kàn) (strength 2/5): ugly (lit. hard to look at). For outfits, haircuts, bad photos.
   Character by character: 难 = hard, 看 = look.
3. **丑** (chǒu) (strength 3/5): ugly. One syllable. No mercy.
   Heard in a real video: 我这个视频哭得很丑。 "I told you yesterday, I look really ugly crying in that video." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqqVm1NmAa4&t=33s)
   Heard in a real video: 如果你真丑的时候。 "But if you're actually ugly," (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq1yjvogrEg&t=290s)
4. **丑死了** (chǒu sǐ le) (strength 4/5): ugly to death. Chinese adds 死了 to make it worse.
5. **丑八怪** (chǒu bā guài) (strength 5/5): ugly monster. What siblings call each other.
   Heard in a real video: 你是个丑八怪， "You're an ugly freak, no match for my boyfriend." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmqNdIIPsMs&t=32s)

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