How do you say "anxious" in Chinese?

焦虑

jiāo lǜ

Adjective Hanzi

In Chinese, "anxious" is 焦虑 (jiāo lǜ).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

The pinyin jiāo lǜ calls for "jiāo" held flat and high (first tone), then "lǜ" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Writing and usage

焦虑 is written using hanzi. It's a adjective, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

面试前他很焦虑。

miàn shì qián tā hěn jiāo lǜ 。

He was anxious before the interview.

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How to remember 焦虑

Say "jiāo lǜ" and picture anxious at the exact same moment — that snapshot is your anchor for the word.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 焦虑

How do you pronounce 焦虑?

The pinyin jiāo lǜ calls for "jiāo" held flat and high (first tone), then "lǜ" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Is 焦虑 formal or casual?

焦虑 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 焦虑 used in Chinese?

焦虑 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 面试前他很焦虑。 (He was anxious before the interview.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Anxious" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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