# How to say “you're annoying” in Chinese

> The mildest way to say “you're annoying” in Chinese is 讨厌 (tǎo yàn), “you're so annoying~”. The strongest is 讨厌鬼 (tǎo yàn guǐ), “pest (lit. annoying ghost)”. Here are all 5, ranked mild to strong, with pinyin and when to use each one.

Source: https://lanlanchinese.com/how-to-say/annoying-in-chinese (updated 2026-10-18)

1. **讨厌** (tǎo yàn) (strength 1/5): you're so annoying~. Said with a pout, it's flirting.
   Heard in a real video: 真讨厌，真冷酷啊！ "So mean, so cold-hearted!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmoDo8hyvH8&t=58s)
   Heard in a real video: 捶起人来怎么那么有劲？讨厌。 "Look at your little white hands — how do they hit so hard? You're awful." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1gNbUVYocw&t=73s)
2. **好烦** (hǎo fán) (strength 2/5): ugh, so annoying. For traffic, homework, mondays.
3. **烦死了** (fán sǐ le) (strength 3/5): annoyed to death. The group chat won't stop buzzing.
   Heard in a real video: 那三连音烦死了， "Those triplets are so annoying — I didn't use any." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stHqW2U79q4&t=8s)
4. **别烦我** (bié fán wǒ) (strength 4/5): leave me alone. Now it's aimed at a person.
5. **讨厌鬼** (tǎo yàn guǐ) (strength 5/5): pest (lit. annoying ghost). The person who ruins every group trip.

---

From LanLan: Learn Chinese Lazily, an Android app for learning Mandarin from 1,500+ real Chinese videos with pinyin and English under every line: tap any word and it becomes a flashcard. Free on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lanlan.app