Textbook Chinese and street Chinese are two different animals. The slang below is the everyday, spoken kind — the words friends actually use to praise something, react to bad news, or wave off a decision. Start with lihai (厉害), "impressive," and niu (牛), "awesome," and you already sound less like a phrasebook.
None of these are rude; they are just casual. Drop one at the right moment and you will catch a smile, because it signals you have listened to how people really talk.
Words of praise
Compliments fly around constantly in Chinese, and these are the ones you will hear most.
厉害
lihai
Impressive / amazing
牛
niu
Awesome (literally "cow")
赞
zan
Great — also the "like" button
酷
ku
Cool
That first one, lihai, is the everyday all-star: use it for a skill, a spicy dish, or a rainstorm. And yes, niu (牛) literally means "cow" — in China, calling something a cow is high praise. A few more in the same family: shuai (帅) for "handsome" or a slick move, meng (萌) for "adorable," and gaoxiao (搞笑) for "hilarious."
Reactions and exclamations
When something goes sideways, these do the emotional work.
哎呀
aiya
Oh no / oops (all-purpose)
糟糕
zaogao
Oh no, this is bad
无语
wuyu
Speechless (an eye-roll)
讨厌
taoyan
Ugh, annoying
Aiya (哎呀) is the universal exclamation — surprise, dismay, mild exasperation, all of it. You will say it within your first week without meaning to.
Everyday attitude
This last group captures a certain Chinese way of shrugging at the world, and they come up daily.
马上
mashang
Right away (literally "on horseback")
随便
suibian
Whatever / up to you
干嘛
ganma
Whatcha doing? / what for?
没办法
meibanfa
Nothing to be done
辛苦了
xinku le
You've worked hard — thank you
A few earn extra notes. Suibian (随便) is the classic answer to "what should we eat?" — a friendly "I don't mind." Ganma (干嘛) is your casual "whatcha doing?" — or, said with a sharper edge, a "what do you want?" Buhaoyisi (不好意思) is the soft everyday apology, gentler than a full duibuqi, perfect for squeezing past someone in a crowd. And xinku le (辛苦了) is a lovely, very Chinese thing to say to anyone who has done you a service — a driver, a helper, a colleague — a warm "thanks for the effort."
Mamahuhu (马马虎虎) — "horse horse tiger tiger" — means "so-so" or "careless," and it is your all-purpose answer to "how was it?" It is actually a chengyu, a four-character idiom with a folk tale behind it; our guide to chengyu tells the story.
People you'll meet
Two labels are worth knowing because you will hear them describing people, maybe even you.
吃货
chihuo
Foodie (a badge of honor)
土豪
tuhao
Flashy new-money
Chihuo (吃货) is self-deprecating and affectionate — proud foodies call themselves this. Tuhao (土豪) is more of a wink, describing someone with more money than taste, or a big spender.
Keep learning Chinese
Slang is what turns correct Chinese into natural Chinese, and it sticks best when you hear it in context and say it out loud. Build your base first with our free essential Chinese phrases, then practice speaking with audio and spaced repetition in the Pretalk app until a well-timed niu comes out on its own.
