急 jí — hurried; worried
别着急，慢慢来。Bié zháo jí, màn màn lái.Do not worry, take your time.
Common words: 紧急 (jǐn jí)、着急 (zháo jí)、急忙 (jí máng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "worried"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "worried", including 急 (jí), 忧 (yōu), 焦 (jiāo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "worried" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 急 (jí), 忧 (yōu), 焦 (jiāo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jí, yōu, jiāo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 急 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 急 jíhurried; worriedUseful words: 紧急, 着急
- 忧 yōuworriedUseful words: 担忧, 忧郁
- 焦 jiāoburnt; scorched; worried; anxiousUseful words: 焦点, 焦虑
Common words for these 3 "worried" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 急 (jí) — so "worried" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
紧急jǐn jíurgent; emergency着急zháo jíto worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry急忙jí mánghastily担忧dān yōuto worry; to be concerned忧郁yōu yùsullen; depressed; melancholy; dejected无忧无虑wú yōu wú lǜ(idiom) carefree; without worries焦点jiāo diǎn(lit. and fig.) focal point; focus焦虑jiāo lǜanxious; worried; apprehensive焦急jiāo jíanxiety; anxious
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 3 ways to say "worried".
忧 yōu — worried
妈妈总是为我的学习而担忧。Mā ma zǒng shì wèi wǒ de xué xí ér dān yōu.Mom always worries about my studies.
Common words: 担忧 (dān yōu)、忧郁 (yōu yù)、无忧无虑 (wú yōu wú lǜ)
焦 jiāo — burnt; scorched; worried; anxious
等了很久还没消息，他有些焦急。Děng le hěn jiǔ hái méi xiāo xi, tā yǒu xiē jiāo jí.He waited a long time without news and grew anxious.
Common words: 焦点 (jiāo diǎn)、焦虑 (jiāo lǜ)、焦急 (jiāo jí)
All 3 characters
Open 急、忧、焦 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.