Meaning
难听 literally means 'difficult to hear' and describes sounds, words, or speech that are unpleasant, offensive, or harsh to the ears. It can refer to physical sounds like bad music or singing, or to words and speech that are rude, insulting, or hurtful.
Usage
Native speakers use 难听 both for genuinely unpleasant sounds (like off-key singing) and, more commonly, for offensive or hurtful words. When describing speech, it often means 'insulting' or 'harsh words.' The phrase 说话难听 (to speak harshly) is very common. It's typically used in informal contexts when criticizing someone's manner of speaking.
Examples
- 01他说话很难听，经常伤害别人的感情。, .He speaks very harshly and often hurts other people's feelings.
- 02这首歌唱得太难听了，我受不了。, .This song is sung so badly, I can't stand it.
Characters
Common collocations
- 说话难听to speak harshly/offensively
- 难听的话harsh words, offensive remarks
- 唱得难听to sing badly
- 难听死了sounds terrible
Antonyms
Origin
Formed from 难 (difficult) + 听 (to hear), creating the literal meaning of 'difficult to hear,' which extends metaphorically to anything aurally or verbally unpleasant.