暗 àn — dark; gloomy; hidden; secret; to shut the door; unilluminated
房间里光线很暗。Fáng jiān lǐ guāng xiàn hěn àn.The light in the room is very dim.
Common words: 黑暗 (hēi àn)、暗示 (àn shì)、暗中 (àn zhōng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "hidden"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "hidden", including 暗 (àn), 隐 (yǐn), 潜 (qián). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "hidden" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 暗 (àn), 隐 (yǐn), 潜 (qián) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span àn, yǐn, qián — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 暗 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 暗 àndark; gloomy; hidden; secret; to shut the door; unilluminatedUseful words: 黑暗, 暗示
- 隐 yǐnsecret; hidden; concealedUseful words: 隐藏, 隐瞒
- 潜 qiánhidden; latent; secret; to hide; to conceal; secretUseful words: 潜力, 潜水
Common words for these 3 "hidden" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 暗 (àn) — so "hidden" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
黑暗hēi àndark; darkly; darkness暗示àn shìto hint; to suggest; hint; suggestion暗中àn zhōngin the dark; in secret; on the sly; surreptitiously隐藏yǐn cángto hide; to conceal; to mask; to shelter隐瞒yǐn mánto conceal; to hide (a taboo subject); to cover up the truth隐私yǐn sīsecrets; private business; privacy潜力qián lìpotential; latent capacity潜水qián shuǐto dive; to go under water; (in an online forum) to lurk潜移默化qián yí mò huàimperceptible influence; to influence secretly
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 "hidden".
隐 yǐn — secret; hidden; concealed
月亮渐渐隐没在云层后面。Yuè liang jiàn jiàn yǐn mò zài yún céng hòu mian.The moon gradually disappeared behind the clouds.
Common words: 隐藏 (yǐn cáng)、隐私 (yǐn sī)、隐蔽 (yǐn bì)
潜 qián — hidden; latent; secret; to hide; to conceal; secret
这个孩子身上有很大的潜力。Zhè ge hái zi shēn shàng yǒu hěn dà de qián lì.This child has great potential.
Common words: 潜力 (qián lì)、潜水 (qián shuǐ)、潜移默化 (qián yí mò huà)
All 3 characters
Open 暗、隐、潜 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.