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How to Say ‘It smells a bit bitter’ in Simplified Chinese

闻起来有点儿苦

wén qǐ lái yǒu diǎn ér kǔ

[wén qǐlái yǒudiǎnr kǔ]

💬 Usage Tip: Sense verb + 起来 means "seems ... when you do it". So 闻起来 is "smells" and 看起来 is "looks". 有点儿 "a bit" usually goes with slightly negative qualities like 苦 (kǔ) "bitter".

Phrase Breakdown

闻起来

wén qǐ lái

[wén qǐlái]

to smell (like)

Describes how something seems by its smell.

Example

这个花闻起来很香。

This flower smells fragrant.

有点儿苦

yǒu diǎn ér kǔ

a bit bitter

有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr) means 'a little', with a Beijing 'r' sound. 苦 (kǔ) means bitter.

Example

咖啡有点儿苦。

The coffee is a bit bitter.

Words in this phrase

有点儿

yǒu diǎn ér

[yǒudiǎnr]

a bit; somewhat

Adverb before adjectives, often showing something is slightly undesirable.

Example

今天有点儿冷。

It's a bit cold today.

苦

kǔ

[kǔ]

bitter

Describes a bitter taste.

Example

这杯咖啡很苦。

This coffee is very bitter.

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