悄 (qiāo) is a Chinese character meaning “quiet”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 肖 (to resemble; likeness), side by side, and takes 10 strokes. It has a second reading, qiǎo, which turns up in 悄然 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “quiet; silent”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
忄 + 肖
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰忄肖，已对照 hanzi-writer 笔画数核验（忄 3 + 肖 7 = 悄 10）
Memory aid
The heart (忄) beside 肖 (xiào) — 肖 hints at the sound qiāo, and the heart tells you it is about a feeling: quiet, hushed, keeping still inside.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 悄悄qiāo qiāoquietly; secretly; without a sound悄 = qiāo
- 静悄悄jìng qiāo qiāovery quiet; completely silent悄 = qiāo
Go deeper
All readings
quiet; silent
quiet; silent; without a sound (mostly in 悄悄 “quietly”)
没有声音或声音很低；多用于「悄悄」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 悄悄qiāo qiāoquietly; secretly; without a sound悄 = qiāo
- 静悄悄jìng qiāo qiāovery quiet; completely silent悄 = qiāo
quiet; still; sorrowful
quiet; still (literary); also: worried, sorrowful — as in 悄然
寂静；也指忧愁的样子。多见于「悄然」等书面词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 悄然qiǎo ránquietly; silently; (literary) sorrowfully悄 = qiǎo
Sound component
肖 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 悄 mean?
悄 (qiāo) means quiet; silent; without a sound (mostly in 悄悄 “quietly”).
How do you pronounce 悄?
Its main reading is qiāo. It also has a second reading, qiǎo, which only shows up in certain words such as 悄然 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 悄 sometimes pronounced qiǎo?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 悄然 it is read qiǎo.
What parts is 悄 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 肖 (to resemble; likeness), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰忄肖，已对照 hanzi-writer 笔画数核验（忄 3 + 肖 7 = 悄 10）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 悄 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 悄?
心. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 悄?
Common ones are 悄悄 and 静悄悄. The reading of 悄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.