严 yán — (air or water) tight; stern; serious; strict; severe
我们的老师很严格。Wǒ men de lǎo shī hěn yán gé.Our teacher is very strict.
Common words: 严重 (yán zhòng)、严格 (yán gé)、严肃 (yán sù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "strict"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "strict", including 严 (yán), 紧 (jǐn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "strict" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 严 (yán), 紧 (jǐn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yán, jǐn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 严 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 严 yán(air or water) tight; stern; serious; strict; severeUseful words: 严重, 严格
- 紧 jǐntight; nervous; strictUseful words: 紧张, 赶紧
Common words for these 2 "strict" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 严 (yán) — so "strict" 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 "strict".
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)
All 2 characters
Open 严、紧 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.