紧张
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 3 (2021)Old HSK 4
紧张 (jǐnzhāng) · nervous
紧张 (jǐnzhāng) means “nervous; tense; tight”. It is written with 2 characters: 紧 (tight) + 张 (measure word for flat things). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 紧张 is built
The characters
紧 jǐn · tight
What 紧 is made of
- 又yòu — and
- 糸mì — silk
- 幺yāo — one
- 小xiǎo — small
- 亅 — hook
- 八bā — eight
Origin hint: silk (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
张 zhāng · measure word for flat things
What 张 is made of
- 弓gōng — bow
- 长zhǎng — long
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: 弓 gives the meaning, 长 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
考试前我很紧张。Kǎoshì qián wǒ hěn jǐnzhāng.I get very nervous before exams.
别紧张，慢慢说。Bié jǐnzhāng, mànmàn shuō.Don't be nervous, take your time.
Questions about 紧张
What does 紧张 mean?
紧张 (jǐnzhāng) means “nervous; tense; tight”.
How do you pronounce 紧张?
紧张 is pronounced jǐnzhāng.
Which HSK level is 紧张?
紧张 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 赶紧gǎnjǐnquickly
- 紧急jǐnjíurgent
- 不要紧bùyàojǐnit doesn't matter
- 紧密jǐnmìclose
- 抓紧zhuājǐnto make the most of
- 紧迫jǐnpòurgent
- 紧jǐntight
- 主张zhǔzhāngto advocate
- 慌张huāngzhāngflustered
- 夸张kuāzhāngto exaggerate
Learn 紧张 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 81: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.