"Good" is 好(hǎo) in Chinese. Although that is a common translation of好, this Chinese character is also used in a variety of manners and meanings.
Radicals
The Mandarin Chinese character 好(hǎo)consists of two radicals: 女 (nǔ) and 子 (zǐ).女 means girl, woman, or daughter.子 means child or son.
Speculations as to why the combination of these two characters means "woman" include the by now outdated idea that it is good for women to have a child, that the love between awoman and a man is good, or that the manner of girls are or should be good.
Pronunciation
好(hǎo) is spoken in the third tone. This implies starting the syllable at a high pitch, lowering the pitch, then raising it again.
Multiple Meanings
Translating the English word for "good" to Chinese brings us the character,好. However, translating 好 into English leads to a variety of different definitions. While好 can mean "good", it can also mean nice, friendly, done, easy, fine, prefer, very, or something completely different depending on the context and other Chinese characters 好 is paired with.
Mandarin Vocabulary with Hǎo
Here are a few examples of how 好 can take on other definitions:
你好 (nǐ hǎo) - Hello
好吃 (hǎo chī) - Tasty; delicious
好看 (hǎo kàn) - Pretty; attractive
好聽 (hǎo tīng) - Pleasant to the ear; sounds nice
好久 (hǎo jiǔ) - A while; a long time
好像 (hǎo xiàng) - Very similar; look alike
好笑 (hǎo xiào) - Funny
爱好 (ài hào) - Hobby
