羞 xiū — shy; ashamed; shame; bashful
这个小女孩很害羞，见到生人就脸红。Zhè ge xiǎo nǚ hái hěn hài xiū, jiàn dào shēng rén jiù liǎn hóng.This little girl is shy and blushes when she meets strangers.
Common words: 害羞 (hài xiū)、羞耻 (xiū chǐ)、羞愧 (xiū kuì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "shame"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "shame", including 羞 (xiū), 耻 (chǐ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "shame" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 羞 (xiū), 耻 (chǐ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiū, chǐ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 羞 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 羞 xiūshy; ashamed; shame; bashfulUseful words: 害羞, 羞耻
- 耻 chǐshame; disgraceUseful words: 无耻, 羞耻
Common words for these 2 "shame" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 羞 (xiū) — so "shame" 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 "shame".
耻 chǐ — shame; disgrace
不懂就问，并不是什么可耻的事。Bù dǒng jiù wèn, bìng bú shì shén me kě chǐ de shì.Asking when you do not understand is nothing to be ashamed of.
Common words: 无耻 (wú chǐ)、羞耻 (xiū chǐ)、耻辱 (chǐ rǔ)
All 2 characters
Open 羞、耻 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.