好奇

• Pinyin: hào qí
• Hanzi breakdown: 好 = 女 (woman) + 子 (child) — good/fond of; 奇 = 大 (big) + 可 (can) — unusual or wonderful

Meaning

Curious; inquisitive. Having a strong desire to know or learn about something.

Describes the feeling of wanting to know more about something unfamiliar or interesting. Common phrases: 好奇心 (curiosity), 感到好奇 (feel curious), 出于好奇 (out of curiosity). Note that the 好 here is pronounced hào (4th tone), meaning 'to be fond of.'

Examples

1. 孩子们对什么事情都很好奇。 Children are curious about everything.
2. 我很好奇他是怎么做到的。 I'm very curious about how he did it.
3. 她出于好奇打开了那个盒子。 She opened the box out of curiosity.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, learning, description

Tone: inquisitive

Do Say

• 我对中国文化很好奇。(I'm very curious about Chinese culture.)
• 好奇心是学习的动力。(Curiosity is the driving force of learning.)

Don't Say

• 他是一个好奇的人，总是偷看别人。(Don't use 好奇 to justify invasive behaviour — curiosity should be positive. Use 爱管闲事 for being nosy.)

Origin & History

Compound of 好 (to be fond of, hào) and 奇 (strange/wonderful). Together they mean 'fond of the strange or novel' — curious.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal