Meaning of 轻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- light
- easy
- gentle
- soft
- reckless
- unimportant
- frivolous
- small in number
How to use 轻
轻 describes physical lightness, a soft or gentle touch, and things that are minor or easy. It shows up in many common words like 年轻 (niánqīng, young) and 轻松 (qīngsōng, relaxed). Example: 这个包很轻。(Zhège bāo hěn qīng.) This bag is very light.
轻 (qīng) has the car radical 车 on the left. Picture a small, light cart that rolls along so easily you could push it with one finger.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 轻 (qīng) with 经 (jīng), which has the same right side but the silk radical 纟 instead of 车. Also keep the first tone, since qìng or qǐng would be heard as other words like 请 (qǐng).
轻 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.
轻 qīng · light · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 轻.
| 年轻 | niánqīng | young |
| 轻松 | qīngsōng | light; gentle |
| 轻易 | qīngyì | easy; simple; rashly; offhandedly |
| 减轻 | jiǎnqīng | to lighten; to ease |
| 轻微 | qīngwēi | slight; light |
| 轻而易举 | qīng'éryìjǔ | easy; with no difficulty |
| 无足轻重 | wúzú-qīngzhòng | insignificant |
| 轻蔑 | qīngmiè | scornful; disdainful; contemptuous; pejorative; disdain; contempt |
| 轻型 | qīngxíng | light (machinery, aircraft etc) |
| 年轻人 | niánqīngrén | young people; youngster |
| 轻轻 | qīngqīng | lightly; softly |
| 轻举妄动 | qīngjǔwàngdòng | to act blindly without thinking (idiom) |
Questions about 轻
What does 轻 mean?
轻 (qīng) means "light; easy" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 轻?
轻 is made of 1 character: 轻 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 轻 an HSK word?
Yes. 轻 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 轻 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 轻 is written 輕.
How do I say 'speak quietly' or 'gently' using 轻?
Use 轻 before a verb as an adverb, or say 轻轻地 (qīngqīng de). For example, 请轻点儿说 (qǐng qīng diǎnr shuō) means 'please speak a little more quietly', and 轻轻地关门 (qīngqīng de guān mén) means 'close the door gently'.
What is the opposite of 轻?
The opposite is 重 (zhòng), meaning heavy or serious. They often appear together, as in 轻重 (qīngzhòng), which means weight or relative importance.