孤独 gūdú lonely
lonely; solitary
How to remember 孤独: 孤 orphaned + 独 alone = lonely.
Characters
How it is used
- Lonely / solitary - the inner ache of being alone: 感到孤独 (gǎndào gūdú) to feel lonely.
- Distinguish from 寂寞 (jìmò), which is more the boredom/emptiness of quiet solitude; 孤独 is the deeper existential aloneness.
- Also can be a valued solitude (孤独的思考者). Emotional/literary.
Example sentences
- 我觉得很孤独。 Wǒ juéde hěn gūdú.I feel lonely.
- 她不在，我很孤独。 Tā bú zài, wǒ hěn gūdú.I was lonely without her.
- 汤姆很孤独。 Tāngmǔ hěn gūdú.Tom's lonely.