How to Say ‘Just kidding.’ in Simplified Chinese
开玩笑的。
kāi wán xiào de
[kye-wahn-shyaow de]
💬 Usage Tip: This is a common shortcut for saying "I'm joking" without a full sentence. Chinese often drops the subject when it's obvious from context.
Phrase Breakdown
开玩笑
kāi wán xiào
[kye-wahn-shyaow]
to joke; to be kidding
Together with 的, 开玩笑的 is a common spoken way to say “just kidding.”
刚才那句“红包拿来”是开玩笑的。
That “hand over the red envelope” just now was a joke.
的
de
[de]
(particle) indicating “it was…” / “just…”
Adds the sense of explanation/softening: 开玩笑的 = “just joking,” not serious.
我说着玩的，开玩笑的。
I was just messing around—only joking.
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