to be anxious; worried; in a hurry
HSK level
着急 is written with 20 strokes (着: 11, 急: 9). The animation replays automatically.
着急 (zháojí) describes the feeling of being anxious, worried, or in a hurry — the mental state when time is short, a problem looms, or a loved one is late.
Literally 'catch / be hit by + urgency,' the word covers both 'antsy hurry' and 'worried concern.' Common patterns: 别着急 ('don't worry / don't rush') is the standard reassurance you say to someone stressed; 我很着急 ('I'm really anxious'); 着急回家 ('anxious to get home'). The first character is read zháo here (not zhe or zhuó), one of the trickier multi-pronunciation characters in HSK 3.
Don't confuse 着急 with 担心 (dānxīn, 'to worry about something specific'): 着急 is the inner-feeling state, often mixed with time pressure; 担心 is worry directed at a person or outcome. Native speakers also use 着急 idiomatically to mean 'in a rush' for action — 不着急 ('no rush / take your time') is a common polite response.
Character by character
Memory hook: 'Caught by urgency' — when urgency catches up with you, you feel 着急.
别着急，我们还有时间。
Bié zháojí, wǒmen hái yǒu shíjiān.
Don't worry, we still have time.
spoken
妈妈很着急，因为我回家晚了。
Māma hěn zháojí, yīnwèi wǒ huí jiā wǎn le.
Mom got very worried because I came home late.
spoken
我着急去机场。
Wǒ zháojí qù jīchǎng.
I'm in a hurry to get to the airport.
spoken
不着急，慢慢说。
Bù zháojí, mànman shuō.
No rush, take your time and speak slowly.
spoken
他一着急就说不出话来。
Tā yì zháojí jiù shuō bu chū huà lái.
As soon as he gets anxious, he can't get words out.
neutral
急 alone is the adjective 'urgent / quick-tempered' (急事 'urgent matter,' 他很急 'he's hot-tempered / impatient'). 着急 specifically describes the feeling state of anxious urgency.
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