惭愧

cán kuì

HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Adjective Uncommon

Definitions

1. ashamed

Word relationships

Antonyms

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• 自豪 zì háo 自豪 zì háo proud (of one's achievements etc) proud of achievements: proud (of one's achievements etc)

Register variants

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• 不好意思 bù hǎo yì si 不好意思 bù hǎo yì si to feel embarrassed less formal apology or embarrassment: to feel embarrassed

Related words

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• 内疚 nèi jiù 内疚 nèi jiù guilty conscience guilty conscience: guilty conscience

Synonyms

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• 羞愧 xiū kuì 羞愧 xiū kuì ashamed feel ashamed for doing something wrong: ashamed

Usage notes

Collocations

Often collocates with 感到 (feel) or 觉得 (think): 感到惭愧, 觉得很惭愧.

Common mistakes

惭愧 is more introspective and often used in formal self-reflection, not for casual apologies like 'sorry'. Use 对不起 or 不好意思 instead.

Example Sentences

1 shown

我为我的错误感到 惭愧 。

I feel ashamed of my mistake.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 惭愧

• 愧 愧 kuì: ashamed
• 惭 惭 cán: ashamed