觉得
to feel; to think
juéde
What does 觉得 mean?
觉得 (juéde) means 'to feel' or 'to think' — it covers both sensory feelings and personal opinions. It is the workhorse verb for expressing what you think: 我觉得这个不错 ('I think this isn't bad'), 我觉得很累 ('I feel very tired'). The structure is simply 觉得 + clause or adjective. Two things to know: first, the second syllable is neutral tone (juéde), not jué dé; second, 觉得 is softer and more personal than 认为 (rènwéi) — 觉得 is for everyday opinions and feelings, while 认为 carries the weight of a considered conclusion (you 认为 in essays and debates).
Native speakers often soften statements with 我觉得 the way English speakers add 'I think...' or 'I feel like...' to avoid sounding too direct. The character 觉 has a second reading jiào, used in 睡觉 ('to sleep') — same character, different pronunciation, different meaning.
Character breakdown
to feel; to perceive; to be aware
structural particle; here forms a verb compound
Memory hook: 觉 (perceive) + 得 (get) — to 'get a perception,' to feel something inwardly. The same 觉 in 睡觉 (sleep, jiào) flips pronunciation but the underlying idea is sensing.
Example sentences
我觉得这个菜很好吃。
Wǒ juéde zhè ge cài hěn hǎochī.
I think this dish is delicious.
spoken
你觉得怎么样？
Nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng?
What do you think?
spoken
今天我觉得很累。
Jīntiān wǒ juéde hěn lèi.
I feel very tired today.
neutral
我不觉得他是坏人。
Wǒ bù juéde tā shì huài rén.
I don't think he's a bad person.
neutral
Common phrases with 觉得
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觉得 appears in 7 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
Don't confuse 觉得 with
Same character 觉 but pronounced jiào here, meaning 'sleep' (a noun). 睡觉 = 'to sleep.' Easy to mix up because 觉 looks identical.
感觉 is 'feeling / sense / to feel' as a noun-verb. 我有这种感觉 ('I have this feeling') vs 我觉得 ('I feel / think...'). 觉得 introduces an opinion; 感觉 names the sensation itself.
FAQ
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