怀疑
to doubt; suspect; be skeptical
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HSK level
- Pinyin
- huáiyí
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 4
- Strokes
- 21
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 怀疑
怀疑 is written with 21 strokes (怀: 7, 疑: 14). The animation replays automatically.
What does 怀疑 mean?
怀疑 (huáiyí) is a verb meaning to doubt, to suspect, or to be skeptical — to hold uncertainty about whether something is true, or to suspect someone of wrongdoing.
It splits into two English senses that share one Chinese word. First, 'to doubt': 我怀疑他说的是真的吗 questions the truth of a claim. Second, 'to suspect': 警察怀疑他是小偷 'the police suspect he's the thief.' Crucially, unlike English where 'I doubt that he'll come' means you think he won't, 怀疑他会来 can be read as 'I suspect he might come,' so context and structure matter.
It also works as a noun ('doubt, suspicion'). Register is neutral, common in everyday talk, news, and detective contexts. Compare 猜疑 (suspicion tinged with distrust of people) and 质疑 (to openly challenge/question a claim).
Character by character
Memory hook: 怀 (harbor) + 疑 (doubt) — to harbor a doubt in your mind.
Hear 怀疑 in real episodes
怀疑 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
一开始怀疑他的人很多，记者们也常常忘了改口叫他国王。
At first many people doubted him, and journalists often forgot to change how they addressed him and call him king.
King Charles III at Four Years: Cancer, Family Scandal and a 58% Approval Rating — How He Stopped ComplainingIntermediate
Example sentences
我有点怀疑这个消息是不是真的。
Wǒ yǒudiǎn huáiyí zhège xiāoxi shì bu shì zhēn de.
I'm a bit doubtful whether this news is true.
spoken
别总是怀疑自己，你能做到。
Bié zǒngshì huáiyí zìjǐ, nǐ néng zuòdào.
Don't always doubt yourself, you can do it.
spoken
警察怀疑他和这起案件有关。
Jǐngchá huáiyí tā hé zhè qǐ ànjiàn yǒuguān.
The police suspect he's connected to the case.
neutral
我毫不怀疑她的能力。
Wǒ háo bù huáiyí tā de nénglì.
I have no doubt about her ability.
written
Common phrases with 怀疑
Synonyms
质疑 means to openly challenge or question the validity of a claim, often out loud and formally. 怀疑 is the private state of doubting or suspecting. You 质疑 a report publicly; you 怀疑 it in your mind.
猜疑 specifically means groundless suspicion and distrust of people, with a negative flavor. 怀疑 is broader and can be reasonable doubt about facts, not just distrust of a person.
Don't confuse 怀疑 with
疑问 is a noun meaning a question or query in one's mind. 怀疑 is the verb 'to doubt/suspect.' You have a 疑问; you 怀疑 something.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
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