好奇
hàoqí
In Chinese, the English phrase 'curious' is expressed as 好奇 (hàoqí). If unsure, use 好奇. Wiktionary also lists 有好奇心 (yǒu hàoqíxīn).
Meaning: tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 好奇 | hàoqí |
| 有好奇心 | yǒu hàoqíxīn |
The term refers to tending to ask questions or wanting to explore and investigate. To express the concept of 'curiosity' as a noun, you can use 好奇心. If you want to describe a strong, informal desire to discover or learn something, you might use the phrase 心痒痒, which literally translates to 'itchy heart'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 有好奇心 literally means 'to have a curiosity heart'.
Which one should you use?
While 好奇 is an adjective meaning 'curious', 有好奇心 is a noun phrase meaning 'to have curiosity' and is often used to describe a personality trait.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express being curious about something, use the pattern 对 [object] 好奇 (duì… hàoqí).
How do you pronounce it?
hàoqí
Did you know?
- In modern internet slang, people who are 'curious' about a trending topic often call themselves 吃瓜群众 (chīguā qúnzhòng), meaning the 'melon-eating masses'.
- To describe someone as 'nosy' in a pejorative way, Chinese speakers often use the word 八卦 (bāguà), which refers to the eight trigrams of ancient cosmology.
- The word 好奇 breaks down into 好 meaning 'to love' or 'be fond of' and 奇 meaning 'strange' or 'wonderful'. To be curious in Chinese is literally to 'love the strange'.
Examples in context
- 汤姆说他很好奇。Tom said that he was curious.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 好奇 to describe a person's state.Tatoeba #9969100 by GlossaMatik, translation #6438821 by CK
- 他对什么都感好奇。He's curious about everything.This sentence demonstrates the grammatical pattern for being curious about something using 好奇.Tatoeba #401025 by GlossaMatik, translation #401022 by FeuDRenais
- 我不好奇。I am not curious.This sentence shows how to use the negation of 好奇.Tatoeba #6197292 by verdastelo9604, translation #1109699 by Leedihuzur
- 我对这个问题很好奇I'm very curious about this question.
- 他的好奇心使他变得聪明His curiosity makes him smart.
- 这个故事让我心痒痒This story makes me curious.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new mystery movie.
- 俊杰 Junjie你对这部电影的内容好奇吗？Nǐ duì zhè bù diànyǐng de nèiróng hàoqí ma?Are you curious about the content of this movie?
- 梓涵 Zihan我非常好奇，但不想被剧透。Wǒ fēicháng hàoqí, dàn bù xiǎng bèi jùtòu.I am very curious, but I don't want any spoilers.
- 俊杰 Junjie梓涵，那我们就现在去看吧。Zǐhán, nà wǒmen jiù xiànzài qù kàn ba.Zihan, let's go see it right now then.
- 梓涵 Zihan好，我也想满足一下好奇心。Hǎo, wǒ yě xiǎng mǎnzú yīxià hàoqí xīn.Okay, I want to satisfy my curiosity too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “curious” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
