Meaning of 好奇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- inquisitive
- curious
- inquisitiveness
- curiosity
How to use 好奇
好奇 describes a curious person or feeling, and it often appears in the pattern 对……好奇 (to be curious about something). It can also work as a noun, as in 好奇心 (hàoqíxīn, curiosity). Example: 孩子对什么都很好奇。(Háizi duì shénme dōu hěn hàoqí.) Children are curious about everything.
好 here is read hào, meaning to like or be fond of, and 奇 (qí) means strange or unusual. If you like strange new things, you are curious: 好奇 (hàoqí).
Common mistake: Learners often read 好 here with third tone as hǎo. In 好奇 it is fourth tone hào, the same as in 爱好 (àihào). Compare 好吃 (hǎochī) and 好看 (hǎokàn), where it really is hǎo.
好奇 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
好 hǎo · good · 6 strokes
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奇 qí · strange · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 好奇.
| 最好 | zuìhǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty; delicious |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good |
| 好听 | hǎotīng | pleasant to hear |
| 爱好 | àihào | to like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby |
| 好玩儿 | hǎowánr | erhua variant of 好玩[hao3 wan2] |
| 好像 | hǎoxiàng | as if; to seem like |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
| 好多 | hǎoduō | many; quite a lot |
| 好人 | hǎorén | good person; healthy person |
| 正好 | zhènghǎo | just (in time); just right |
| 好事 | hǎoshì | good action, deed, thing or work (also sarcastic, "a fine thing indeed"); charity |
Questions about 好奇
What does 好奇 mean?
好奇 (hàoqí) means "inquisitive; curious" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 好奇?
好奇 is made of 2 characters: 好 (6 strokes), 奇 (8 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 好奇 an HSK word?
Yes. 好奇 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say I am curious about something with 好奇?
Use 对 + thing + 好奇, for example 我对中国文化很好奇 (Wǒ duì Zhōngguó wénhuà hěn hàoqí), I am curious about Chinese culture. Avoid putting the object directly after 好奇 in simple sentences.
Is 好奇 positive or negative in Chinese?
It is usually neutral or positive, describing a natural wish to know. In some contexts, such as 别太好奇 (bié tài hàoqí), don't be too curious, it can hint at being nosy.