Merry Mandarin logo Merry MandarinGrammar Lab
A2 Intermediate Comparisons

还 (hái): How to Say “It's OK” / “Pretty Good”

A second job for 还 (hái): set it before a “good” word — 好 / 可以 / 行 / 不错 — and it tones that word down to “it's OK / not bad / pretty good” (这个还可以 = “this is OK”). Usually lukewarm — fine, but nothing to rave about.

Why this trips learners up

Ask a Chinese friend how the food was and you'll often get 还可以 (hái kěyǐ) or 还好 (hái hǎo) — literally “still OK”, but really meaning “it's fine / not bad / pretty good.” That's the second life of 还: drop it in front of a small set of “good” words — 好, 可以, 行, 不错 — and it tones them down to a mild, often lukewarm approval. 这个还可以 is no rave; it's “yeah, it's OK” with a small shrug.

Two cautions. First, tone and expectations decide how warm it is: after a low bar, 还不错 can mean “honestly, pretty good!”, while a flat 还可以 is closer to “meh, it'll do.” Second — the big one — this is the same character as the 还 that means “still / also / more” (我还要一个 = “I want one more”). Chinese keeps them apart by what comes next: a “good” word (好/可以/行/不错) right after 还 makes it “pretty good”; a verb or a number makes it “still / also.”

The structure

Subject 还 hái Adjective
Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Time Place Adverb Function word Adjective Connector Other

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

zhège 这个 Subject hái 还 Pattern kěyǐ 可以 Adjective

This one's OK.

wǒ 我 Subject zuìjìn 最近 Time hái 还 Pattern hǎo 好 Adjective

I've been OK lately.

zhè jiā kāfēidiàn 这家咖啡店 Subject hái 还 Pattern bùcuò 不错 Adjective

This coffee shop is pretty good.

tā de Zhōngwén 他的中文 Subject hái 还 Pattern xíng 行 Adjective

His Chinese is passable.

zhè bù diànyǐng 这部电影 Subject hái 还 Pattern kěyǐ 可以 Adjective dànshì 但是 Connector yǒudiǎn 有点 Adverb cháng 长 Adjective

The movie's OK, but a bit too long.

nǐ zuò de fàn 你做的饭 Subject hái 还 Pattern bùcuò 不错 Adjective ma 嘛 Function word

Hey, your cooking's pretty good!

hái 还 Pattern kěyǐ 可以 Adjective ba 吧 Function word jiùshì 就是 Adverb yǒudiǎn 有点 Adverb lèi 累 Adjective

It's OK, I guess — just a bit tiring.

shuō shíhuà 说实话 Other zhè jiā cāntīng 这家餐厅 Subject hái 还 Pattern kěyǐ 可以 Adjective dàn 但 Connector méiyǒu 没有 Verb wǎngshàng 网上 Place shuō 说 Verb de 的 Function word nàme 那么 Adverb hǎo 好 Adjective

Honestly, this restaurant's OK — but not as good as the reviews online say.

Common mistakes

Avoid: 这个还贵。 zhège hái guì.
Say this: 这个有点贵。 zhège yǒudiǎn guì.

Why it happens: This “toning-down” 还 only works on a handful of “good” words — 好, 可以, 行, 不错. Put it on an ordinary adjective and it snaps back to its other meaning: 还贵 isn't “moderately expensive”, it's “still expensive”. For “a bit too expensive”, reach for 有点贵.

Avoid: 你唱得还好。 nǐ chàng de hái hǎo.
Say this: 你唱得很好。 nǐ chàng de hěn hǎo.

Why it happens: 还好 is faint praise — “OK / so-so”, not a real compliment. 你唱得还好 tells someone they sing passably. If you mean it warmly, you want 很 (or 真): 你唱得很好 (“you sing really well”).

Avoid: 这个菜不还好。 zhège cài bù hái hǎo.
Say this: 这个菜不太好。 zhège cài bù tài hǎo.

Why it happens: There's no 不还好. To say something isn't good, you don't negate this 还 — you switch to 不太 or 不: 这个菜不太好 (“this dish isn't very good”), never 不还好.

Compare & contrast

还 — “pretty good / OK” (before 好/可以/行/不错)还 — “still / also / more” (the additive 还)The difference
这个还可以。zhège hái kěyǐ.我还要一个。wǒ hái yào yí gè.这个还可以 = “this is OK” — 还 before 可以 tones it down. 我还要一个 = “I want one more” — 还 before a verb means “still / more”.
他唱得还好。tā chàng de hái hǎo.他还在唱。tā hái zài chàng.他唱得还好 = “he sings OK” (faint praise). 他还在唱 = “he's still singing” (还 = “still”).
Rule of thumbCheck what follows 还. A “good” word — 好, 可以, 行, 不错 — gives the “passably OK” 还. A verb, a number or 有 gives the “still / also / more” 还 (the one on the 还 vs 也 page).

Try it yourself

Say “I think this shop is pretty good” (还不错) — tap the words into order.

Related patterns

还／也还 vs 也 (hái vs yě): Which “Also” to Use

The other 还 — “also / still / more”. Same character, told apart by what follows; this page is its lookalike twin.

 真真 (zhēn): How to Say “Really” / “So…!”

还好 is faint praise (“OK”); 真好 is the real thing (“so good!”) — the lukewarm low end against the heartfelt high end.

 不太不太 (bù tài): How to Say “Not Very” / “Not Really”

还好's negative partner: there's no 不还好, so “not very good” comes out as 不太好.

 有点有点 (yǒudiǎn): How to Say “A Bit Too…” (a Complaint)

The everyday hedge: 还可以，但有点贵 (“it's OK, but a bit too pricey”) — faint approval plus a small gripe.

 好吧好吧 / 行吧: How to Concede with 吧 (“Fine Then”)

Both are lukewarm acceptance: 还行 is “it's OK / passable”; 好吧 is the resigned “fine then”.

 还在How to Say “Still” with 还 (hái)

Yet another 还: this page softens an adjective (还不错, “pretty good”), while the other 还 marks an ongoing state — 还在 (“still doing”), 还没 (“still hasn’t”).

 比较How to Say “Rather” with 比较 (bǐjiào)

Two understated, modest words: 还 gives faint “good enough” approval (还可以), while 比较 makes a measured “relatively” comparison (比较好).

 不过How to Say a Softer “But” with 不过 (búguò)

不过 and 还 team up for a hedge: 没去过，不过听说还不错 (“haven't been, but I hear it's pretty good”), a soft “but” plus faint approval.
Quick reference card
Merry Mandarin 还 (hái): How to Say “It's OK” / “Pretty Good” grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure
Subject + 还 + Adjective
Example
这个还可以
This one's OK.
Watch out
✗ 这个还贵。  →  ✓ 这个有点贵。