Chinese word

淘气

Pronunciation

Pinyintáo qì

Meaning

  • adjectivenaughty

Example

他小时候很淘气。tā xiǎo shí hòu hěn táo qì

He was very naughty as a child.

Illustration for 淘气 (naughty)

More examples

妈妈说他现在不再那么淘气了。mā mā shuō tā xiàn zài bú zài nà me táo qì le

Mom said he wasn't so naughty anymore.

Core concept

Playful energy spills into small acts of trouble, usually without bad intent.

Common phrases

  • 特别淘气tè bié táo qì

    especially naughty

  • 太淘气了tài táo qì le

    too naughty

  • 又淘气又调皮yòu táo qì yòu tiáo pí

    naughty and mischievous

Similar words

调皮tiáo pí: Mischievous and unable to sit still, sometimes amusing or bothering people nearby.
顽皮wán pí: Playful and energetic, with a character or attitude that easily leads to mischief.

Definition in Chinese

形容人爱捣蛋、做小麻烦但通常无恶意的行为，多用于儿童或口语中戏称成年人。xíng róng rén ài dǎo dàn zuò xiǎo má fán dàn tōng cháng wú è yì de xíng wéi duō yòng yú ér tóng huò kóu yǔ zhōng xì chēng chéng nián rén

Word origin

淘气 (táoqì, "naughty") developed as a colloquial label for a lively, unruly temperament, so it refers to minor troublemaking rather than serious wrongdoing.

Usage tips

  • With children, a warm tone makes this a light reprimand; with an unfamiliar adult, it can sound patronizing or judgmental.

Other meanings

  • mischiefnoun
  • naughty childnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 淘气鬼táo qì guǐmischievous childnoun
  • 淘气包táo qì bāonaughty childnoun

Word lists with this word