深 shēn — deep; profound
这条河很深，不要下去游泳。Zhè tiáo hé hěn shēn, bú yào xià qù yóu yǒng.This river is deep; do not go in to swim.
Common words: 深刻 (shēn kè)、深入 (shēn rù)、深厚 (shēn hòu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "deep"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "deep", including 深 (shēn), 沉 (chén). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "deep" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 深 (shēn), 沉 (chén) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shēn, chén — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 深 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 深 shēndeep; profoundUseful words: 深刻, 深入
- 沉 chénsubmerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lowerUseful words: 沉默, 沉重
Common words for these 2 "deep" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 深 (shēn) — so "deep" 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 2 ways to say "deep".
沉 chén — submerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lower
石头一下子沉到了水底。Shí tou yí xià zi chén dào le shuǐ dǐ.The stone sank to the bottom of the water at once.
Common words: 沉默 (chén mò)、沉重 (chén zhòng)、沉思 (chén sī)
All 2 characters
Open 深、沉 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.