What does 旧 mean in Chinese?

旧 (jiù) means "old; opposite: new 新; former; worn (with age)" in Chinese. The new HSK exam tests it at HSK 3.

How do you pronounce 旧?

旧 is pronounced "jiù" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 4.

What HSK level is 旧?

旧 is an HSK 3 word on the new HSK exam syllabus. It is HSK 3 on both the old and the new exam.

What words contain the character 旧?

Common words with 旧 include 仍旧 (still (remaining)), 依旧 (as before), 个旧 (Gejiu, county level city in Yunnan, capital of Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous county 紅河哈尼族彞族自治州|红河哈尼族彝族自治州[Hong2 he2 Ha1 ni2 zu2 Yi2 zu2 zi4 zhi4 zhou1]), 古旧 (archaic), 四旧 (the Four Olds (target of the Cultural Revolution)).

How do you write 旧?

旧 has 5 strokes. Its radical is 日. You can view the stroke order animation on our stroke order tool.

旧 (jiù), old

旧

jiù

old; opposite: new 新; former; worn (with age)

HSK 35 strokes

Traditional: 舊

Character Breakdown

旧 = 丨 + 日

A single line through a day — old, former

Radical: 日 (no. 72)Strokes: 5Traditional: 舊

View stroke order →

Definitions

old
opposite: new 新
former
worn (with age)

Example Sentences

我想买新手机，旧的太慢了。

Wǒ xiǎng mǎi xīn shǒujī, jiù de tài màn le

I want to buy a new phone, the old one is too slow

Words Containing 旧

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
仍旧	réng jiù	still (remaining)	HSK 6
依旧	yī jiù	as before	HSK 6
个旧	Gè jiù	Gejiu, county level city in Yunnan, capital of Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous county 紅河哈尼族彞族自治州\|红河哈尼族彝族自治州[Hong2 he2 Ha1 ni2 zu2 Yi2 zu2 zi4 zhi4 zhou1]
古旧	gǔ jiù	archaic

Related Words

主动(zhǔ dòng)· to take the initiative

→

倒座儿(dào zuò r)· the north-facing room opposite the master's in a siheyuan 四合院[si4 he2 yuan4]

→

假声(jiǎ shēng)· falsetto

→

偏偏(piān piān)· (indicates that sth turns out just the opposite of what one would wish) unfortunately

→

HSK levels

New HSK exam: HSK 3
HSK 2.0: HSK 3
HSK Lord study list: HSK 3 list

旧: HSK 3 on both the old and the new exam. See where your old level lands

New exam levels follow the CLEC syllabus released 15 November 2025. The first official sitting is announced for 13 December 2026. HSK 7-9 is one advanced band.

On the new HSK 3 exam

Studying for HSK 3? Keep 旧 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 3 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.