可疑
kěyí
The English word 'suspicious' is translated into Chinese as 可疑 (kěyí).
可疑 is used to describe something or someone that arouses suspicion. You can place this adjective directly before a noun to modify it, such as in the phrase 可疑人物 (kěyí rénwù) to mean 'suspicious person' or 'suspicious character'.
Meaning: arousing suspicion (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word consists of 可, meaning 'can' or 'able to' and 疑, meaning 'doubt' or 'suspicion'.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, 可疑 is commonly preceded by an adverb of degree like 很 (hěn) to indicate a state, such as in 很可疑 (very suspicious), rather than using a verb like 'is'.
How do you pronounce it?
kěyí
Did you know?
- In modern Chinese internet slang, people use the word 可疑 alongside a specific emoji of a side-eyeing face to imply that someone is lying without saying it directly.
- While 可疑 is the standard term for 'suspicious', if you want to say someone is acting 'suspiciously' or 'shady' in a slang context, people often use 鬼鬼祟祟 (guǐguǐ suìsuì) to describe their movements.
- The component within 疑 that represents 'words' or 'speech' suggests that suspicion often arises from what is said rather than just what is seen.
Examples in context
- 看上去很可疑。It looks suspicious.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 可疑 to describe how something looks.Tatoeba #9961397 by GlossaMatik, translation #2248776 by CK
- 这种说法其实有点可疑。This statement is actually kind of suspicious.This sentence shows how to describe a statement as being suspicious.Tatoeba #7218807 by GlossaMatik, translation #9981702 by francaisr0wlet
- 你有注意到什麼可疑的地方嗎？Did you notice any suspicious places?This sentence demonstrates how to ask if someone has noticed anything suspicious.Tatoeba #3709596 by egg0073, translation #3962757 by JSakuragi
- 这个人的行为很可疑。This person's behavior is very suspicious.
- 他的言行令人怀疑。His words and actions are suspicious.
- 这件事可能有问题。There may be a problem with this matter.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A woman and a man are talking about a person walking by.
- 伟 Wei那个人看起来很可疑。Nàge rén kàn qǐlái hěn kěyí.That person looks very suspicious.
- 梓涵 Zihan我也觉得，他一直在看这里。Wǒ yě juéde, tā yīzhí zài kàn zhèlǐ.I think so too, he keeps looking this way.
- 伟 Wei我们还是先离开吧。Wǒmen háishì xiān líkāi ba.We should leave first.
- 梓涵 Zihan好的，我们走吧。Hǎo de, wǒmen zǒu ba.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “suspicious” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
