Chinese word

亲密

Pronunciation

Pinyinqīn mì

Meaning

  • adjectiveclose

Example

她和我一直很亲密。tā hé wǒ yì zhí hěn qīn mì

She and I have always been close.

Illustration for 亲密 (close)

More examples

我们从小就是亲密朋友。wǒ men cóng xiǎo jiù shì qīn mì péng yǒu

We have been close friends since we were little.

Core concept

An emotionally close bond in which people feel strongly connected and comfortable with each other.

Common phrases

  • 亲密朋友qīn mì péng yǒu

    close friend

  • 亲密关系qīn mì guān xì

    close relationship

  • 亲密接触qīn mì jiē chù

    close contact

Similar words

亲近qīn jìn: Describes a close, familiar relationship in which people feel comfortable approaching each other.
密切mì qiè: Describes a close and active connection involving strong mutual interest or influence.
友好yóu hǎo: Friendly toward others and marked by peaceful, good-natured relations.
亲热qīn rè: Warm and affectionate in manner, openly expressing friendly closeness.

Definition in Chinese

形容人与人之间感情上亲近、关系密切，常用于描述友谊、亲情或恋爱中的亲近程度。xíng róng rén yǔ rén zhī jiān gǎn qíng shàng qīn jìn guān xì mì qiè cháng yòng yú miáo shù yǒu yì qīn qíng huò liàn ài zhōng de qīn jìn chéng dù

Word origin

The compound 亲 (qīn, "close and affectionate") + 密 (mì, "tight or dense") uses physical closeness as an image for a tightly connected human relationship.

Usage tips

  • English intimate often sounds romantic, but this Chinese adjective also describes close friendships and family relationships, so the surrounding relationship usually supplies the context.

Other meanings

  • on good termsadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 亲密度qīn mì dùdegree of closenessnoun

Word lists with this word