羞 xiū — shy; ashamed; shame; bashful
这个小女孩很害羞，见到生人就脸红。Zhè ge xiǎo nǚ hái hěn hài xiū, jiàn dào shēng rén jiù liǎn hóng.This little girl is shy and blushes when she meets strangers.
Common words: 害羞 (hài xiū)、羞耻 (xiū chǐ)、羞愧 (xiū kuì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "ashamed"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "ashamed", including 羞 (xiū), 愧 (kuì), 戚 (qī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "ashamed" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 羞 (xiū), 愧 (kuì), 戚 (qī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiū, kuì, qī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 羞 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 羞 xiūshy; ashamed; shame; bashfulUseful words: 害羞, 羞耻
- 愧 kuìashamedUseful words: 惭愧, 不愧
- 戚 qīashamed; grief; (surname); relativeUseful words: 亲戚, 外戚
Common words for these 3 "ashamed" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 羞 (xiū) — so "ashamed" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "ashamed".
愧 kuì — ashamed
没有完成答应的事，他感到很惭愧。Méi yǒu wán chéng dā ying de shì, tā gǎn dào hěn cán kuì.He felt ashamed for not finishing what he had promised.
Common words: 惭愧 (cán kuì)、不愧 (bù kuì)、羞愧 (xiū kuì)
戚 qī — ashamed; grief; (surname); relative
过年的时候，亲戚们常常聚在一起。Guò nián de shí hou, qīn qi men cháng cháng jù zài yì qǐ.During the New Year, relatives often gather together.
Common words: 亲戚 (qīn qi)、外戚 (wài qī)、戚族 (qī zú)
All 3 characters
Open 羞、愧、戚 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.