觉得 (juéde) is the verb you reach for whenever English would say "I feel…" or "I think…" as a personal impression. It reports what is going on in your head — a sensation (我觉得很累 "I feel tired") or an opinion (我觉得这个电影很好看 "I think this film is great") — and the thing you feel or think is simply tacked on as a whole clause. There is no word for "that." Don't hunt for one; just say 觉得 and keep talking. Two things trip English speakers up: 觉得 is softer and more everyday than the considered 认为 (rènwéi) "hold the view that," and it is not the same as 以为 (yǐwéi), which specifically means "I was under the mistaken impression that."
Sense 1: feel (a physical or emotional sensation)
At its most concrete, 觉得 reports how you feel — tired, cold, hungry, better. Here it takes an adjective or a stative phrase, not a full clause.
我今天觉得有点儿累。
wǒ jīntiān juéde yǒudiǎnr lèi
I feel a bit tired today.
你觉得冷不冷？我去关窗户。
nǐ juéde lěng bu lěng? wǒ qù guān chuānghu
Do you feel cold? I'll go shut the window.
吃了药以后，他觉得好多了。
chī le yào yǐhòu, tā juéde hǎo duō le
After taking the medicine, he felt a lot better.
Sense 2: think / be of the opinion (that)
This is the workhorse sense. 觉得 + a whole clause delivers an opinion or judgement. The clause needs no linker — English "that" is simply absent in Chinese.
我觉得这家餐厅比那家好吃。
wǒ juéde zhè jiā cāntīng bǐ nà jiā hǎochī
I think this restaurant is tastier than that one.
你觉得我应该买哪个？
nǐ juéde wǒ yīnggāi mǎi nǎ ge
Which one do you think I should buy?
这件衣服你觉得怎么样？
zhè jiàn yīfu nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng
What do you think of this outfit?
Sense 3: negate the opinion — 我不觉得…
Chinese and English agree here: to disagree, you negate the verb of thinking, not the inner clause. 我不觉得他对 "I don't think he's right" is far more natural than 我觉得他不对, exactly like English "I don't think" over "I think… not."
我不觉得他说得对。
wǒ bù juéde tā shuō de duì
I don't think what he said is right.
睡了一觉，我一点儿也不觉得累了。
shuì le yí jiào, wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bù juéde lèi le
After a nap, I don't feel tired at all anymore.
The other reading: 觉 (jiào) in 睡觉
Beware the character 觉. Inside 觉得 it is read jué, but on its own — as the noun "sleep" in 睡觉 (shuìjiào) "to sleep" and 睡懒觉 (shuì lǎn jiào) "sleep in" — it is read jiào. Same character, two readings, two unrelated meanings.
我昨天晚上没睡好觉，现在特别困。
wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang méi shuì hǎo jiào, xiànzài tèbié kùn
I didn't sleep well last night; I'm really sleepy now.
周末我就想在家睡个懒觉。
zhōumò wǒ jiù xiǎng zài jiā shuì ge lǎn jiào
On weekends I just want to sleep in at home.
Key collocations
| Phrase | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 觉得累 / 饿 / 冷 | juéde lèi / è / lěng | feel tired / hungry / cold |
| 觉得好看 | juéde hǎokàn | think (sth) looks good |
| 觉得有意思 | juéde yǒu yìsi | find (sth) interesting |
| 觉得奇怪 | juéde qíguài | find (sth) strange |
| 你觉得呢？ | nǐ juéde ne | what do you think? |
| 你觉得怎么样？ | nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng | how do you find it? / what do you reckon? |
| 不觉得 | bù juéde | don't think / don't feel |
| 睡觉 | shuì jiào | sleep (觉 read jiào) |
Grammar notes
觉得 belongs to the small family of cognition/perception verbs that take a clause as their object — its full behaviour is on the 觉得 (think / feel) page. Because the clause is the object, nothing separates 觉得 from it: no 那, no 说, no comma required. You can also front the topic for emphasis — 这个电影我觉得很好看 "this film, I think it's great" — which is why 你觉得怎么样 sits so comfortably with the topic before 觉得.
The important border is with two near-synonyms. 认为 (rènwéi) is the weightier "hold the considered view that," at home in argument and formal writing; 以为 (yǐwéi) is the trap — it means "I was under the impression (wrongly) that." Choosing among the three is mapped on the 觉得 vs 认为 vs 以为 page and the 认为 / 以为 contrast. Don't reach for 想 (xiǎng) here either — 想 is "want" or "think about," not "be of the opinion."
Common Mistakes
1. Using 想 for "I think that…" (an opinion). 想 means "want / miss / think about"; a stated opinion is 觉得.
❌ 我想这个电影很好看。
Unidiomatic for an opinion — 想 is 'want / ponder', not 'be of the opinion'. Use 觉得.
✅ 我觉得这个电影很好看。
wǒ juéde zhège diànyǐng hěn hǎokàn
I think this film is really good.
2. Reaching for 以为 when nothing was mistaken. 以为 signals "I thought X — but I was wrong." For a plain present opinion, that's a false accusation against yourself.
❌ 我以为你唱得很好。
Implies 'I thought you sang well — but actually you don't.' Wrong if you simply admire their singing.
✅ 我觉得你唱得很好。
wǒ juéde nǐ chàng de hěn hǎo
I think you sing really well.
3. Inserting a word for "that." The clause follows 觉得 bare — no 那, no 说.
❌ 我觉得说他今天不会来。
Incorrect — no linking word goes after 觉得; drop 说.
✅ 我觉得他今天不会来。
wǒ juéde tā jīntiān bú huì lái
I don't think he's coming today.
4. Reading 觉 as jué inside 睡觉. In the word for "sleep," 觉 is read jiào.
❌ 我要去睡觉。
Correct sentence, but 睡觉 is read shuì jiào, never shuì jué.
✅ 我要去睡觉了。
wǒ yào qù shuì jiào le
I'm going to bed now.
Key Takeaways
- 觉得 covers both English "feel" (a sensation) and "think" (an impression/opinion) — the clause just follows, with no word for "that."
- To disagree, negate the verb: 我不觉得…, mirroring English "I don't think…".
- Softer and more colloquial than 认为 (a considered view); do not confuse it with 以为 "was mistakenly under the impression."
- Don't use 想 for opinions — 想 is "want / think about."
- The character 觉 is jué in 觉得 but jiào in 睡觉 "sleep."
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- 想 (xiǎng) — want to / think / missHSK 1 — 想 (xiǎng) does three jobs: the soft modal 'want to / would like' + verb (我想去), 'think / ponder / plan' (让我想想, 想办法), and 'miss / long for' (我想你, 想家). It is gentler than 要, and — key trap — 想 + a noun means 'miss it', not 'want to have it'.
- 知道 (zhīdào) — to know (a fact)HSK 1 — 知道 (zhīdào) is 'know a fact / know that…' and readily takes a whole clause or embedded question (我知道他是谁). It splits from 认识 (know a person), 会 (know how to), and 懂/明白 (understand) — English 'know' covers all four.