The Quick-Reference Guide to Writing Prompts Without English Fluency

Although Suno fully supports Chinese prompt input, when we need to generate higher-quality or more controllable works, it is inevitable that we will need to use English prompts to help Suno better understand the music we want.

This article organizes three categories of the most commonly used vocabulary—mood words, sound texture words, and structural/dynamic words—into a Chinese-English reference table, complete with usage scenarios. The second half introduces a six-step breakdown method to turn vague ideas into complete prompts, accompanied by four practical examples.

Let's learn some music-related English. Once you find what you need, feel free to use it directly in your prompts.

Mood Words

Place these in the "Style" box to tell Suno the overall emotional tone of the song.

Cheerful / Joyful

Upbeat pop, children's songs, celebratory music.

Melancholic / Somber

Slow songs, piano pieces, deep emotional compositions.

Bittersweet

Nostalgic themes, indie pop, graduation songs.

Nostalgic

Lo-fi, Synthwave, retro styles.

Dark / Ominous

Metal, Trap, Drill, villain soundtracks for film.

Bright / Uplifting

Pop, Gospel, inspirational themes.

Epic / Cinematic

Orchestral scores, game OSTs, promotional background music.

Intimate / Personal

Bedroom Pop, folk, whispered vocals.

Euphoric

EDM, House, festival themes.

Haunting

Ambient, post-rock, atmospheric electronic.

Triumphant

Orchestral, sports themes, rock climaxes.

Dreamy / Ethereal

Shoegaze, Chillwave, traditional Chinese style.

Aggressive / Fierce

Metal, Punk, high-intensity workout music.

Serene / Peaceful

Ambient, classical, traditional Chinese style, meditation music.

Playful / Whimsical

J-Pop, Indie Pop, lighthearted styles.

Groovy

Funk, Disco, R&B.

Tense / Suspenseful

Film scores, thriller/suspense scenes.

Mood words can be combined (e.g., "bittersweet, nostalgic") to be more precise than using a single word. However, do not combine contradictory moods (like "aggressive" and "peaceful"), as Suno will not know how to balance them.

Texture & Production

Describe the production style and physical texture of the sound; also placed in the "Style" box.

Raw

Unprocessed, retaining a live feel; suitable for rock or folk live recordings.

Polished

High-quality studio production, clean and professional sound.

Analog / Vintage

The warm texture of old-school equipment, full mid-to-low frequencies.

Digital / Clean

Modern, clear sound; suitable for EDM, K-Pop.

Warm

Full mid-to-low frequencies, intimate listening experience; common in Lo-fi, Neo-soul.

Cold / Icy

Prominent high frequencies, a sense of distance; Techno, Ambient, winter themes.

Lo-fi

Intentional "imperfections"—vinyl crackle, muffled highs—that feel intimate.

Hi-fi

Clear, rich in detail; classical, jazz, neoclassical.

Distorted

Guitar overdrive, electronic noise; specific to rock and metal.

Reverb-heavy

Large sense of space, like a cathedral or hall; Shoegaze, post-rock, ambient electronic.

Dry

No reverb, close-up feel; percussion, Funk, straightforward rap.

Atmospheric

Layered and spacious; Ambient, Post-rock.

Gritty

Textured, rough but flavorful; Blues, Garage Rock.

Lush

Multi-layered instruments, rich sound; big pop productions, orchestral.

Sparse / Minimal

Few instruments, plenty of space; neoclassical, folk a cappella.

Crisp

Clear high frequencies, distinct rhythm; pop or electronic with prominent percussion.

Structure & Dynamics

Describe the energy flow and arrangement structure; also placed in the "Style" box.

Catchy chorus / Strong hook

Add this when you want the chorus to be catchy; common in pop songs.

Build-up and drop

The core structural term for EDM, describing the explosion of energy after a build-up.

Steady groove

Rhythm remains constant; suitable for Funk, R&B, Soul.

Dynamic contrast (soft-loud)

Significant changes in volume/intensity between sections; post-rock, Grunge, symphonies.

Layered arrangement

Multiple instruments playing distinct roles for a three-dimensional sound; common in big pop productions.

Stripped-down / Acoustic

Removing extra parts, keeping only core instruments; folk, a cappella versions.

Call-and-response

Dialogue between lead vocals and backing vocals/instruments; Gospel, blues.

Repetitive / Hypnotic

Strong looping feel, helps the listener get into a trance; Techno, Ambient, Trance.

Progressive / Evolving

The song changes continuously from start to finish; post-rock, progressive rock, suites.

Exclusion: Say what you don't want directly.

Add "no" + the unwanted element in the "Style" box to exclude it.

Often, knowing what you don't want is more efficient than stacking adjectives. If you are making quiet folk music, adding "no drums" is more direct than using ten words to describe "quiet."

Common exclusion terms:

no vocals / instrumental

Remove vocals to generate pure instrumentals.

no autotune

Remove autotune effects for more natural vocals.

no drums

Remove drums, suitable for quiet instrumental pieces.

no heavy reverb

Avoid heavy spatial reverb to keep the sound clean.

no electronic elements / purely acoustic

Exclude all electronic elements, keep only acoustic instruments.

no distortion

Remove distortion effects to keep the sound clean.

no piano

Remove piano.

no rap

Remove rap sections, keep singing parts.

Don't stack too many exclusion terms; 2–3 is just right. Exclusion works best when combined with positive descriptions—first describe what you want, then exclude what you don't. In Suno V5, exclusion terms are much more reliable than in previous versions.

From Vague Feeling to Complete Prompt: The Six-Step Breakdown

Having a vague idea in your head but not knowing how to turn it into a prompt is the most common hurdle. Follow these six steps, answering one small question at a time.

Step 1: What is the mood?

Describe it in everyday language. Don't worry about "which English word to use" yet; just say it in Chinese.

Example: "A rainy day curled up at home, a bit melancholy but very comfortable."

Step 2: Translate into mood words.

Refer to the mood word table above and find the closest terms.

Example: melancholic, cozy, bittersweet.

Step 3: Choose the closest style.

Refer to the style template table (from the previous article) and pick the closest major category.

Example: Lo-fi hip hop.

Step 4: Add instruments and sound textures.

Think about what instruments you want to hear, and whether the texture should be warm or cold, clean or fuzzy.

Example: piano, vinyl crackle, soft rain samples, warm bass.

Step 5: Decide on vocals.

Do you want vocals? If so, male or female, soft or powerful? If not, just exclude them.

Example: no vocals, instrumental.

Step 6: Assemble.

Combine the results from the first five steps, keeping it to 4–7 phrases.

Result:

Lo-fi hip hop, melancholic, cozy, piano melody, vinyl crackle, rain samples, warm bass, 75 BPM, no vocals, instrumental.

Four Practical Examples

Demonstrating the six-step breakdown with real scenarios—both the "Style" and "Lyrics" boxes are provided for you to copy directly.

Scenario 1: Chinese-style background music for a short video.

Style box:

Chinese traditional, guzheng, bamboo flute, pipa, pentatonic melody, peaceful, flowing, no vocals, instrumental.

Lyrics box (only structural tags, no lyrics):

[Intro] [Interlude] [Outro: Fade Out]

Guzheng, bamboo flute, and pipa are the most recognizable keywords for Chinese-style instruments; writing the instrument names is often more precise than writing "Chinese style."

Scenario 2: An energetic EDM track.

Style box:

EDM, big room house, festival anthem, euphoric, massive synths, 128 BPM, energetic, powerful drop.

Lyrics box:

[Intro] (Let's go!) [Build-Up] (Feel the energy rising!) [Drop] [Breakdown] [Build-Up] (One more time!) [Drop] [Outro]

By putting EDM structural terms (Build-up / Drop / Breakdown) directly into the Lyrics box, Suno will strictly follow this flow to manage energy distribution.

Scenario 3: A quiet piano solo.

Style box:

Piano solo, neoclassical, emotional, minimalist, Key of A minor, adagio, contemplative, no vocals.

Lyrics box:

[Intro] [Interlude] [Interlude] [Outro]

"Adagio" (Italian for a slow, leisurely tempo) triggers a neoclassical performance feel better than specifying a BPM. Combining "neoclassical" and "minimalist" effectively avoids unwanted strings or drums.

Scenario 4: A poetic Chinese-style instrumental piece.

Style box:

Chinese orchestral, erhu lead melody, guzheng arpeggios, bamboo flute countermelody, pentatonic, nostalgic, cinematic, no vocals, classical Chinese atmosphere.

Lyrics box:

[Intro: guzheng solo] [Interlude: erhu enters] [Interlude: full ensemble, crescendo] [Bridge: bamboo flute solo, sparse] [Interlude: full ensemble return] [Outro: guzheng solo, fade out]

You can embed instrument instructions (like "erhu enters") into the Lyrics box tags, and Suno will arrange instrument changes between sections accordingly. This "tag-embedded note" style is particularly useful for instrumental pieces with alternating instruments.

These three word lists and the six-step breakdown cover most situations where you might not know how to fill out the "Style" box. If you have a vague feeling you can't express, try adapting the scenarios above; after a few tries, you'll get the hang of it.

The next article will cover Suno's advanced features—Extend, Personas, Covers, Remix, and Audio Upload—to help you make use of all those buttons beyond basic generation.