# How to say “I miss you” in Chinese

> The mildest way to say “I miss you” in Chinese is 想你了 (xiǎng nǐ le), “miss you”. The strongest is 魂牵梦萦 (hún qiān mèng yíng), “you pull at my soul, even in my dreams”. Here are all 5, ranked mild to strong, with pinyin and when to use each one.

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

1. **想你了** (xiǎng nǐ le) (strength 1/5): miss you. The everyday text. Cute, low risk.
   Heard in a real video: 我知道你喜欢，我想你了！ "I know you like it. I missed you!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8NtJjsNJtk&t=16s)
2. **好想你** (hǎo xiǎng nǐ) (strength 2/5): i miss you so much. 好 turns it up. Good for long-distance calls.
3. **想死你了** (xiǎng sǐ nǐ le) (strength 3/5): i miss you to death. Dramatic but normal. Friends say it at the airport too.
4. **朝思暮想** (zhāo sī mù xiǎng) (strength 4/5): thinking of you morning and night. An idiom. This one is a love letter.
5. **魂牵梦萦** (hún qiān mèng yíng) (strength 5/5): you pull at my soul, even in my dreams. Full poetry. Only if you mean it.

---

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