安 ān — content; calm; still; quiet; to pacify; peace
夜里非常安静。Yè lǐ fēi cháng ān jìng.It is very quiet at night.
Common words: 安全 (ān quán)、晚安 (wǎn ān)、安静 (ān jìng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "quiet"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "quiet", including 安 (ān), 静 (jìng), 悄 (qiǎo / qiāo), 幽 (yōu). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "quiet" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 安 (ān), 静 (jìng), 悄 (qiǎo / qiāo), 幽 (yōu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ān, jìng, qiǎo, qiāo, yōu — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 安 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 安 āncontent; calm; still; quiet; to pacify; peaceUseful words: 安全, 晚安
- 静 jìngstill; calm; quiet; not movingUseful words: 安静, 冷静
- 悄 qiǎo / qiāoquiet; sadUseful words: 悄悄, 悄然
- 幽 yōuquiet; secludedUseful words: 幽默, 幽会
Common words for these 4 "quiet" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 安 (ān) — so "quiet" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
安全ān quánsafe; secure; safety; security晚安wǎn ānGood night!; Good evening!安静ān jìngquiet; peaceful; calm安静ān jìngquiet; peaceful; calm冷静lěng jìngcalm; cool-headed; dispassionate; (of a place) deserted平静píng jìngtranquil; undisturbed; serene悄悄qiāo qiāoquiet; making little or no noise; surreptitious; stealthy悄然qiǎo ránquietly; sorrowfully悄声qiǎo shēngquietly; in a low voice幽默yōu mò(loanword) humor; humorous
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 4 ways to say "quiet".
静 jìng — still; calm; quiet; not moving
夜深了，四周一片寂静。Yè shēn le, sì zhōu yí piàn jì jìng.Late at night, everything around is silent.
Common words: 安静 (ān jìng)、冷静 (lěng jìng)、平静 (píng jìng)
悄 qiǎo / qiāo — quiet; sad
他悄悄地走进了房间，没有惊动任何人。Tā qiāo qiāo de zǒu jìn le fáng jiān, méi yǒu jīng dòng rèn hé rén.He quietly walked into the room without disturbing anyone.
Common words: 悄悄 (qiāo qiāo)、悄然 (qiǎo rán)、悄声 (qiǎo shēng)
幽 yōu — quiet; secluded
这条小路十分幽静，很少有人走过。Zhè tiáo xiǎo lù shí fēn yōu jìng, hěn shǎo yǒu rén zǒu guò.This path is very quiet, and few people pass by.
Common words: 幽默 (yōu mò)、幽会 (yōu huì)、幽明 (yōu míng)
All 4 characters
Open 安、静、悄 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.