机 jī — machine; opportunity; secret
我的手机没电了。Wǒ de shǒu jī méi diàn le.My cellphone is out of battery.
Common words: 手机 (shǒu jī)、飞机 (fēi jī)、机场 (jī chǎng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "secret"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "secret", including 机 (jī), 密 (mì), 暗 (àn), 秘 (mì), 隐 (yǐn), 潜 (qián). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "secret" covers 7 different Chinese characters — 机 (jī), 密 (mì), 暗 (àn), 秘 (mì), 隐 (yǐn), 潜 (qián), 潜 (qián) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 7 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jī, mì, àn, yǐn, qián — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 机 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 机 jīmachine; opportunity; secretUseful words: 手机, 飞机
- 密 mìsecret; confidential; close; thick; denseUseful words: 秘密, 密码
- 暗 àndark; gloomy; hidden; secret; to shut the door; unilluminatedUseful words: 黑暗, 暗示
- 秘 mìsecretUseful words: 秘密, 神秘
- 隐 yǐnsecret; hidden; concealedUseful words: 隐藏, 隐瞒
Common words for these 7 "secret" characters
Anchor each of these 7 characters in a word you can picture — start with 机 (jī) — so "secret" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
手机shǒu jīcell phone; mobile phone飞机fēi jīairplane机场jī chǎngairport; airfield; (slang) service provider for Shadowsocks or similar software for circumventing Internet censorship秘密mì mìsecret; private; confidential; clandestine密码mì mǎcipher; secret code; password; PIN亲密qīn mìintimate; close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秘密mì mìsecret; private; confidential; clandestine
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 7 ways to say "secret".
密 mì — secret; confidential; close; thick; dense
这片树林长得很密。Zhè piàn shù lín zhǎng de hěn mì.This forest grows very densely.
Common words: 秘密 (mì mì)、密码 (mì mǎ)、亲密 (qīn mì)
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)
秘 mì — secret
这个山洞里藏着一个秘密。Zhè ge shān dòng lǐ cáng zhe yí ge mì mì.A secret is hidden in this cave.
Common words: 秘密 (mì mì)、神秘 (shén mì)、秘书 (mì shū)
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)
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 7 characters
Open 机、密、暗 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.