Talking about people, what they look like and what they are like, is bread-and-butter conversation. Dutch splits this neatly into uiterlijk (appearance) and karakter (character). Here is the vocabulary and how to build the sentences.
Appearance: uiterlijk
Use is for general looks and heeft for specific features:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| lang / klein | tall / short |
| slank / stevig | slim / sturdy |
| blond / donker | fair / dark |
| het haar | hair |
| de ogen | eyes |
| de baard / snor | beard / moustache |
| de bril | glasses |
So Hij is lang (he’s tall), Zij heeft blauwe ogen (she has blue eyes), Hij heeft kort, donker haar (he has short dark hair). The colour adjectives follow the adjective-ending rules: bruin haar (het-word, no -e) but blauwe ogen (plural, -e). Dutch grammar references cover the is/heeft split.
Character: karakter
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| aardig | kind / nice |
| vriendelijk | friendly |
| grappig | funny |
| verlegen | shy |
| serieus | serious |
| rustig | calm |
| druk | lively / busy |
| eigenwijs | headstrong / stubborn |
| nuchter | down-to-earth |
Build with is: Ze is heel aardig en grappig (she’s very kind and funny). Onze Taal and Van Dale are good for shades of meaning.
Two very Dutch words
- eigenwijs (literally “own-wise”): headstrong, set on their own way. Not purely negative, it can be affectionate, even admiring, especially about a child.
- nuchter (literally “sober”): down-to-earth, level-headed, unflappable. A genuine compliment in a culture that prizes not making a fuss, the same instinct as doe maar normaal.
Building a description
Put it together with conjunctions:
Mijn collega is lang en heeft donker haar. Ze is heel aardig, maar ook een beetje eigenwijs. (My colleague is tall and has dark hair. She’s very kind, but also a bit headstrong.)
Use een beetje (a bit), heel / erg (very), and niet zo (not very) to fine-tune: Hij is niet zo verlegen (he’s not very shy).
A cultural note
The Dutch describe character fairly directly, in keeping with their general directness. Calling someone eigenwijs or druk to their face is not necessarily an insult, and nuchter is high praise. So do not read Dutch bluntness about personality as rudeness.
Where it connects
Describing people pairs with clothing vocabulary (what they’re wearing), the colours for hair and eyes, making plans with them, and talking about your job and colleagues.
The bottom line
Describe appearance with is (general) and heeft (features), lang, blond, bruin haar, blauwe ogen, and character with is: aardig, grappig, verlegen. Learn the two very Dutch words, eigenwijs (headstrong) and nuchter (down-to-earth, a compliment), fine-tune with heel and een beetje, and you can talk about anyone in your life.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that drills people-describing vocabulary in real sentences, lang, blond, aardig, eigenwijs, hij is en heeft, in five-minute situation-based lessons, so you can talk about the people in your life naturally.
Frequently asked questions
How do you describe what someone looks like in Dutch?
Use is for general looks and heeft for features. Hij is lang (he’s tall), Zij is klein (she’s short), Hij heeft bruin haar (he has brown hair), Zij heeft blauwe ogen (she has blue eyes). Key words: lang/klein (tall/short), slank (slim), blond/donker (fair/dark), het haar (hair), de ogen (eyes), de bril (glasses). So Hij is lang en heeft kort, donker haar describes appearance fully.
What are common Dutch words for someone’s character?
Useful character words: aardig (kind/nice), vriendelijk (friendly), grappig (funny), verlegen (shy), serieus (serious), rustig (calm), druk (lively/busy), and eigenwijs (headstrong/stubborn, often said half-admiringly). You build it with is: Ze is heel aardig en grappig (she’s very kind and funny). The Dutch also value being nuchter (down-to-earth, level-headed), which is a compliment about character.
What does ‘eigenwijs’ mean in Dutch?
Eigenwijs literally means ‘own-wise’ and describes someone headstrong, stubborn, or set on doing things their own way. It is not purely negative: depending on tone it can be a mild criticism or an affectionate, even admiring, label for someone independent-minded, often used for children. It captures a very Dutch attitude, so it is a useful word to recognise when people describe each other.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for describing people?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it drills appearance and character vocabulary in real sentences, lang, blond, aardig, eigenwijs, hij is en heeft, in five-minute situation-based lessons, so you can describe the people in your life and understand how the Dutch describe each other.
