How to say “I am busy” in Chinese
🔊 Tap to hear it
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
我 and 很 are both third tones, so 我 rises: wó hěn máng. 很 here barely means 'very'. Chinese adjectives usually need a linker like 很 in a plain statement, so 我很忙 is simply 'I'm busy'. Drop it only when contrasting: 我忙，你不忙.
In a sentence
Wǒ jīntiān hěn máng, míngtiān kěyǐ ma?
I'm busy today, is tomorrow okay?
Hear it and say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio and scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "I am busy" in Chinese?+
"I am busy" in Mandarin Chinese is 我很忙, pronounced wǒ hěn máng. 我 and 很 are both third tones, so 我 rises: wó hěn máng. 很 here barely means 'very'. Chinese adjectives usually need a linker like 很 in a plain statement, so 我很忙 is simply 'I'm busy'. Drop it only when contrasting: 我忙，你不忙.
What does 我很忙 mean literally?+
我很忙 breaks down as 我 (wǒ) = I, 很 (hěn) = very (often just a linker), 忙 (máng) = busy. Together it means "I am busy".
How do I get the tones right in wǒ hěn máng?+
我 and 很 are both third tones, so 我 rises: wó hěn máng. 很 here barely means 'very'. Chinese adjectives usually need a linker like 很 in a plain statement, so 我很忙 is simply 'I'm busy'. Drop it only when contrasting: 我忙，你不忙.
More phrases like this
Master the tones behind it
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
On iPhone, Android and the web
ToneDeck is on the App Store. The trainer works right now.
Download ToneDeck for iPhone or Android today. One account unlocks Pro on both the app and the web. Prefer the browser? The full tone trainer runs at tonedeck.app right now, no install, free to start.
Sign up free and start trainingSee all the phrases on the how to say things in Chinese index, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.