careless; sloppy
HSK level
粗心 is written with 15 strokes (粗: 11, 心: 4). The animation replays automatically.
粗心 (cūxīn) is an adjective meaning 'careless,' 'inattentive to detail,' or 'sloppy.'
It literally reads 'coarse heart/mind' (粗 = coarse/rough, 心 = heart/mind), picturing a mind too rough to notice small things. It describes a person who makes avoidable mistakes by not paying attention — misreading a question, forgetting a step, overlooking a detail. It is neutral in register and common in school, work, and daily contexts, often as a gentle criticism: 你太粗心了 ('you're too careless').
Unlike English 'careless,' which can imply not caring, 粗心 is specifically about lack of attention to detail, not lack of concern — a 粗心 person may care a lot but still overlook things. The common phrase 粗心大意 intensifies it, and 粗心 usually pairs with mistakes rather than danger.
Character by character
Memory hook: A 'coarse' (粗) 'mind' (心) is too rough to catch small details — careless.
他很粗心，经常忘带钥匙。
Tā hěn cūxīn, jīngcháng wàng dài yàoshi.
He's careless and often forgets his keys.
spoken
考试的时候别太粗心。
Kǎoshì de shíhou bié tài cūxīn.
Don't be too careless during the exam.
neutral
这个错误是因为粗心造成的。
Zhège cuòwù shì yīnwèi cūxīn zàochéng de.
This mistake was caused by carelessness.
written
你怎么这么粗心，又写错了名字。
Nǐ zěnme zhème cūxīn, yòu xiěcuò le míngzi.
How are you so careless — you wrote the name wrong again.
spoken
马虎 also means careless/sloppy and is more colloquial, often describing doing a job hastily and half-heartedly. 粗心 focuses on failing to notice details. 马虎 leans toward not bothering to be thorough.
大意 (dàyi) means to be off-guard or negligent, letting your attention slip at a key moment. 粗心 is a general trait of inattentiveness; 大意 is a momentary lapse.
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 粗心 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
