隐 meaning and stroke order
To hide, to conceal; secret, hidden
How to write 隐, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 隐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) secret; hidden; concealed; crypto-
- to lean upon
How 隐 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A place 阝 to hide when worried 急.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 隐
On the left is 阝, a hillside or mound, and on the right is 急 (jí), worried or urgent. When you are worried, you run behind the hill 阝 to hide, so 隐 (yǐn) means hidden or concealed.
隐 (yǐn) rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in words like 隐藏 (yǐncáng, to hide), 隐私 (yǐnsī, privacy), and 隐瞒 (yǐnmán, to conceal the truth). Example: 请尊重我的隐私。 (Qǐng zūnzhòng wǒ de yǐnsī.) Please respect my privacy.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as a full 急 with extra strokes or confuse it with 稳 (wěn, stable), which has the same right side but 禾 on the left. Also keep the third tone yǐn, not the fourth tone yìn, which is a rare reading meaning to lean on.
Common words with 隐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 隐藏 | yǐncáng | to hide; to conceal | HSK 6 |
| 隐私 | yǐnsī | secrets; private business | HSK 6 |
| 隐瞒 | yǐnmán | to conceal; to hide (a taboo subject) | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐形 | yǐnxíng | invisible | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐蔽 | yǐnbì | to conceal; to hide | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐身 | yǐnshēn | to hide oneself; invisible (person or online status) | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐约 | yǐnyuē | vague; faint; indistinct | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐患 | yǐnhuàn | a danger concealed within sth; hidden damage | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐情 | yǐnqíng | sth one wishes to keep secret; ulterior motive | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐性 | yǐnxìng | hidden; crypto- | HSK 7-9 |
| 隐秘 | yǐnmì | secret; hidden | |
| 隐居 | yǐnjū | to live in seclusion | |
| 隐形眼镜 | yǐnxíngyǎnjìng | contact lens | |
| 隐喻 | yǐnyù | metaphor |
隐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 隐
Learning 隐 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 隐
How many strokes are in 隐?
隐 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 隐 mean?
隐 (yǐn) means to hide, to conceal; secret, hidden. A common word with it is 隐藏 (yǐncáng), meaning "to hide; to conceal".
How do you pronounce 隐?
隐 is pronounced yǐn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 隐?
The radical of 隐 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 隐 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 隐?
The traditional form of 隐 is 隱. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 隐 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 隐 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 隐 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 隐藏 and 隐瞒?
隐藏 (yǐncáng) means to hide something physically or keep it out of sight, like hiding a key. 隐瞒 (yǐnmán) means to conceal information or the truth from someone, like hiding a mistake from your boss.
How do you say invisible mode or appear offline in Chinese?
Use 隐身 (yǐnshēn). In chat apps, 隐身 means appearing offline while still being logged in, and it can also describe a person becoming invisible in stories.