Mandarin TempleMandarin Temple Beta Come for Knowledge. Stay for Wisdom.
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
悄悄 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
悄悄qiāoqiāoquietlyHSK 5, z, rank #6818, Hard
悄悄qiāoqiāosecretlyHSK 5, z, rank #6818, Hard
悄悄qiāoqiāostealthilyHSK 5, z, rank #6818, Hard
悄悄qiāoqiāoquietHSK 5, z, rank #6818, Hard
悄悄qiāoqiāoworriedHSK 5, z, rank #6818, Hard
悄悄qiāoqiāoTaiwan pr. [qiǎo qiǎo]HSK 5, z, rank #6818, Hard
悄悄qiāoqiāoTaiwan pr. [qiao3 qiao3]HSK 5, unknown, rank #6818, Hard
qiāoqiāo(qiao1qiao1) T1
  1. 1quietly
  2. 2secretly
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
悄悄qiāoqiāo(qiao1qiao1)

悄悄 (qiǎo qiǎo) means 'quietly' or 'secretly' and is often used to describe actions done in a stealthy or unobtrusive manner. It conveys a sense of care or concern about being heard or seen, making it suitable for contexts involving discretion or secrecy.

Frequency#6818DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, doing things '悄悄' often relates to politeness and respect for others' space, such as sneaking in quietly to avoid disturbing someone, which reflects the value placed on harmony in social interactions.

Memory Tip

Imagine a cat sneaking through the house at night, moving '悄悄' (quietly) to avoid waking anyone. The character 悄 consists of the 'heart' radical (心) which hints at the quiet, careful emotions involved in stealthy actions.

Meanings of 悄悄

qiāoqiāo(qiao1qiao1)
1quietly
2secretly
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 悄悄

悄悄Simplified
—Strokes
—Radical
副词fùcíadverb (adv.)Part of Speech
#6818Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L5IntermediateHSKKL3CEFRB2

Podcast: 悄悄

JasonAmy

Podcast: 悄悄

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 悄悄

Quick Contrast

偷偷 (tōutōu) vs 悄悄 (qiāoqiāo): use 悄悄 when the focus is on being quiet or unobtrusive, while 偷偷 emphasizes the act of doing something secretly or illicitly.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a cat sneaking through the house at night, moving '悄悄' (quietly) to avoid waking anyone. The character 悄 consists of the 'heart' radical (心) which hints at the quiet, careful emotions involved in stealthy actions.

Usage Notes

Learners often confuse 悄悄 with other similar adverbs like 安静 (ānjìng) which means 'quiet.' Remember that 悄悄 emphasizes the secretive nature of the action. It is typically used in informal contexts.

HSK Study Tips

As an HSK Level 5 word, 悄悄 connects well with other adverbs describing manner and tone, such as 高兴 (gāoxìng, happy) or 慢慢 (mànmàn, slowly). Focus on its usage in sentences to grasp its subtlety in meaning.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, doing things '悄悄' often relates to politeness and respect for others' space, such as sneaking in quietly to avoid disturbing someone, which reflects the value placed on harmony in social interactions.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is using 悄悄 in contexts where a stronger word like 安静 should be used, such as saying '他悄悄地很安静' (Tā qiǎo qiǎo de hěn ānjìng), which should be corrected to '他很安静' (Tā hěn ānjìng, He is quiet).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 悄悄

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 悄悄 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Component Characters

悄qiāoquiet
10 strokes忄
View full entry
悄qiāoquiet
10 strokes忄
View full entry

Write 悄悄

悄
悄

Practice writing 悄悄 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 悄悄

悄悄 carries 7 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

我们看见又有两只野猫在黑暗中____向我们靠近。

We saw two more wild cats creeping towards us in the darkness.

Example Sentences for 悄悄 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
我们看见又有两只野猫在黑暗中悄悄向我们靠近。

wǒ mén kàn jiàn yòu yǒu liǎng zhī yě māo zài hēi àn zhōng qiǎo qiǎo xiàng wǒ mén kào jìn。

We saw two more wild cats creeping towards us in the darkness.
2
我跟你说句悄悄话好吗？

wǒ gēn nǐ shuō jù qiǎo qiǎo huà hǎo ma？

Can I have a word in your shell-like?
3
他悄悄溜走了，独剩我一人落泪。

tā qiǎo qiǎo liū zǒu le， ， dú shèng wǒ yī rén luò。

He quietly slipped away and left me to my tears.
4
他悄悄地走进酒吧，显然不想引起注意。

tā qiǎo qiǎo dì zǒu jìn jiǔ bā， ， xiǎn rán bù xiǎng yǐn qǐ zhù。

He was sidling into the bar, obviously trying to be inconspicuous.
5
然后就回到房子里悄悄地庆祝一番。

rán hòu jiù huí dào fáng zǐ lǐ qiǎo qiǎo dì qìng zhù yī fān。

Then it was back to the house for a quiet celebration.
6
科因两腿悄悄滑下了床。

kē yīn liǎng tuǐ qiǎo qiǎo huá xià le chuáng。

Coyne slid his legs over the side of the bed.
7
她本打算悄悄进去，但谈话却突然中断了。

tā běn dǎ suàn qiǎo qiǎo jìn qù， ， dàn tán huà què tū rán zhōng duàn。

She had meant to make a discreet entrance, but conversation stopped dead.
8
注意看那只猫正悄悄地接近老鼠.

zhù yì kàn nà zhī māo zhèng qiǎo qiǎo dì jiē jìn lǎo shǔ.

Watch that cat stealing up on the mouse.
9
趁没人注意,小船悄悄离岸而去.

chèn méi rén zhù yì, , xiǎo chuán qiǎo qiǎo lí àn ér.

The little boat edged away quietly, while no one was looking.
10
他在瞅空悄悄离开.

tā zài chǒu kōng qiǎo qiǎo lí kāi.

He is watching for an opportunity of retiring quietly.

Cultural Notes for 悄悄

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, doing things '悄悄' often relates to politeness and respect for others' space, such as sneaking in quietly to avoid disturbing someone, which reflects the value placed on harmony in social interactions.

Frequently Asked Questions about 悄悄

You can say, '他悄悄地走了' (Tā qiǎo qiǎo de zǒu le), which means 'He left quietly.'