What does hěn mean?

What Does “Hěn” Mean in Chinese?

When you first encounter the word 很 (hěn) in Chinese, you might be told it means “very.” And technically, that’s correct. But in everyday spoken Mandarin, its role is often more subtle — and surprisingly grammatical.

Imagine saying, “She is nice,” in English. The “is” links the subject to the adjective. In Chinese, adjectives can’t stand alone in a sentence without a little help. That’s where 很 comes in. It often doesn’t carry the meaning of “very” at all — instead, it acts as a soft link between the subject and the adjective, a kind of grammatical bridge.

For example, if you say 他很高 (tā hěn gāo), it literally reads “he very tall,” but it’s naturally translated as “he is tall.” The 很 isn’t emphasizing intensity — it’s just filling a structural need in the sentence. In fact, leaving it out would sometimes make the sentence sound abrupt or incomplete.

This is why 很 is sometimes called a “dummy” linking word — it’s not always about degree. It’s more about making the sentence flow naturally. Of course, 很 can mean “very” when emphasis is intended, but more often than not, it’s just doing quiet grammatical work behind the scenes.

So while Google Translate might tell you that 很 means “very,” the real answer is more nuanced. In conversation, it’s less about intensity and more about connection — a small word with a big role in making Chinese sound right.