Meaning of 旧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- old
- opposite: new 新
- former
- worn (with age)
How to use 旧
旧 describes things that are old or used, the opposite of 新 (xīn, new), and it also means former, as in 旧朋友 (jiù péngyou, old friend). It appears in common words like 依旧 (yījiù, still) and 怀旧 (huáijiù, nostalgic). Example: 这件衣服很旧了。(Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn jiù le.) This piece of clothing is very old.
旧 (jiù) looks like a single line 丨 standing next to 日 (rì, sun or day). Picture one old post that has stood beside the sun for many, many days until it became old and worn.
Common mistake: Learners often use 旧 for old people, but for age of people you say 老 (lǎo), as in 老人 (lǎorén). Use 旧 for objects and past things, so 旧车 (jiùchē) is a used car, not 老车.
旧 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.
旧 jiù · old · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 旧.
| 依旧 | yījiù | as before; still; to remain the same |
| 仍旧 | réngjiù | still (remaining); to remain (the same) |
| 破旧 | pòjiù | shabby |
| 怀旧 | huáijiù | to feel nostalgic; nostalgia |
| 陈旧 | chénjiù | old-fashioned; out of date; obsolete; antiquated |
| 照旧 | zhàojiù | as before; as in the past |
| 老旧 | lǎojiù | outmoded; old-fashioned |
| 旧情 | jiùqíng | old affection |
| 旧事 | jiùshì | old affair; former matter |
| 旧约 | Jiùyuē | former agreement; former contract |
| 叙旧 | xùjiù | to reminisce; to talk about former times |
| 重操旧业 | chóngcāojiùyè | (idiom) to resume one's old trade |
Questions about 旧
What does 旧 mean?
旧 (jiù) means "old; opposite: new 新" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 旧?
旧 is made of 1 character: 旧 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.
Is 旧 an HSK word?
Yes. 旧 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 旧 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 旧 is written 舊.
What is the difference between 旧 and 老?
旧 means old in the sense of used, worn, or former, and it is mainly for things. 老 means old in age and is used for people, animals, and long-established things, like 老朋友 (lǎo péngyou, friend of many years).
Does 依旧 mean the same as 仍旧 and 照旧?
依旧 (yījiù) and 仍旧 (réngjiù) both mean still or remaining the same and are close in meaning, with 依旧 sounding a bit more literary. 照旧 (zhàojiù) stresses doing something as before, for example 一切照旧 (yíqiè zhàojiù), everything goes on as usual.