紧 jǐn — tight; nervous; strict
时间很紧，我们得快一点儿。Shí jiān hěn jǐn, wǒ men děi kuài yì diǎnr.Time is tight; we need to hurry.
Common words: 紧张 (jǐn zhāng)、赶紧 (gǎn jǐn)、紧急 (jǐn jí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "nervous"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "nervous", including 紧 (jǐn), 慌 (huāng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "nervous" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 紧 (jǐn), 慌 (huāng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jǐn, huāng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 紧 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 紧 jǐntight; nervous; strictUseful words: 紧张, 赶紧
- 慌 huāngnervousUseful words: 慌张, 慌忙
Common words for these 2 "nervous" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 紧 (jǐn) — so "nervous" 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 "nervous".
慌 huāng — nervous
遇到危险时不要慌张，要保持冷静。Yù dào wēi xiǎn shí bú yào huāng zhāng, yào bǎo chí lěng jìng.When facing danger, do not panic; stay calm.
Common words: 慌张 (huāng zhāng)、慌忙 (huāng máng)、恐慌 (kǒng huāng)
All 2 characters
Open 紧、慌 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.