How to say “stingy” in Chinese
stingy, petty
“Stingy” in Chinese is 小气, xiǎo qi: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
小气 is read xiǎo qi: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
In 不客气 it is read with the neutral tone: qi.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “小气”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 小气. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 他对朋友一点儿也不小气tāduìpéngyouyìdiǎnryěbùxiǎoqiHe isn't the least bit stingy with his friends.
- 别这么小气biézhèmexiǎoqiDon't be so stingy!
More words from the lesson “Generous and petty”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “stingy” in Chinese?
“Stingy” in Chinese is 小气, pinyin xiǎoqi.
What does 小气 mean?
小气 (xiǎoqi) means “stingy, petty”.
How do you write 小气?
小气 is 2 characters: 小 (xiǎo) — small; 气 (qì) — air, spirit. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 小气?
小气 is read xiǎoqi. Tones: xiǎo — third tone, qi — neutral tone. The page has an audio recording.
“stingy” in the lesson “Generous and petty”
This word is from the topic “Character and behavior” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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