Comparing "youdian" and "yidian"

一点 (yīdiǎn) and 有点 (yǒudiǎn), usually pronounced 一点儿 (yīdiǎnr) and 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr) in northern China, all mean pretty much the same thing, "a little" or "a bit," but they have different uses in sentences.

一点 Used with Nouns

一点 can be placed before a noun to mean "small quantity," like 一点水，一点钱 while 有点 can't be used this way. Note that 有点 is also a shortened form of 有一点, which means "there is a little something.

A few examples to help you understand:

• 你 脸上 有一点 灰 。Nǐ yǒu yīdiǎn huī.There's a little dirt on your face.
• 你 碗里 还 有 一点 饭 ，吃 完 吧 。Nǐ wǎn lǐ hái yǒu yīdiǎn fàn, chī wán ba.There's still a little rice in your bowl. Finish eating it.

Used with Adjectives

有点 is placed before an adjective, and it usually expresses something that the speaker doesn't want or his own negative feelings about something.

Examples

• 我 今天 有点 累 。Jīntiān wǒmen yǒudiǎn lèi.I am a little tired today.
• 这个 菜 有点 咸 。Zhège cài yǒudiǎn xián.The dish is a little salty.

一点 can't be placed before an adjective. Instead, it is placed after adjectives. The adjectives that can be used are particularly limited. 一点 is often used when comparing, or expressing speaker’s wish or expectation.

• 老板 ，便宜 一点 吧。Lǎobǎn, piányi yīdiǎn ba.Sir, a little cheaper please. (directed to the owner of a shop)
• 请 说 慢 一点 。Qǐng shuō màn yīdiǎn.Please speak a little more slowly.
• 快 点，要 迟到 了。Kuài diǎn, yào chídào le.A bit faster, we will be late.

Negative Forms

You can use 不 or 没 after 有点 and before the adjective, however the following adjective should have a positive connotation, like 高兴 (gāoxìng), 舒服 (shūfu), 喜欢(xǐhuan) etc. This makes the overall emotion expressed feel negative still.

Examples

• 我 今天 有点 不 舒服 。Wǒ jīntiān yǒudiǎn bù shūfu.Today I don't feel very good.
• 我 有点儿 不 喜欢 这个 地方 。Wǒ yǒudiǎn bù xǐhuan zhège dìfang.I don't like this place much.

一点 cannot be linked together directly, but can be used in the 一点也不 or 一点也没 structure to mean "not at all."

• 这个 菜 一点 也 不 辣 。Zhège cài yīdiǎn yě bù là.This dish is not spicy at all.
• 这些 钱 你 一点 也 没 花 ？Zhèxiē qián nǐ yīdiǎn yě méi huā?You didn't spend the money at all?

Right and Wrong

下面这两个例子代表的是二者最常见的使用偏误。

• 我 有点 饿 。I'm a bit hungry.
• 我 一点 饿 。I'm a little hungry.

• 老板 有点 生气 。The boss is a bit angry.
• 老板 一点 生气 。The boss is a little angry.

Example Dialog

• A：这 件 衣服 有点 贵 啊 。A: Zhè jiàn yīfu yǒudiǎn guì a.This piece of clothing is a bit expensive.
• B：是 贵 了 一点 ，但是 很 好看 ，我 很 喜欢 。B: Shì guì le yīdiǎn, dànshì hěn hǎokàn, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.It's a bit expensive, but it looks really good, I like it.
• A：老板 ，这 件 衣服 能 不 能 便宜 一点 ？A: Lǎobǎn, zhè jiàn yīfu néng bù néng piányi yīdiǎn?Attendant, could we get this a little cheaper?
• C：不 好意思 ，不能 还价 ，一点 也 不 能 便宜 。C: Bù hǎoyìsi, bù néng huánjià, yīdiǎn yě bù néng piányi.I'm sorry, no haggling. It can't be a little bit cheaper. Not even a bit.

See also

• Expressing "a little too" with "you dian"
• Expressing "not at all" with "yidianr ye bu"
• Expressing "a bit too"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 602) [ →buy]
• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 633) [ →buy]
• 对外汉语教学语法释疑201例 (pp. 172) [ →buy]
• Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp. 43) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 63) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

Websites

• Chinesegrammar.info: Where to place 一点儿 (yī diǎnr) in a sentence