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糊涂 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
糊涂hútumuddledHSK 7, a, 25 strokes, rank #3703, Very Hard
糊涂hútusillyHSK 7, a, 25 strokes, rank #3703, Very Hard
糊涂hútuconfusedHSK 7, a, 25 strokes, rank #3703, Very Hard
hútu(hu2tu5)hu tu T2
  1. 1muddled
  2. 2silly
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March 24, 2026

糊涂(糊塗)hútu(hu2tu5)

The term 糊涂 (hú tú) refers to a state of being muddled, confused, or silly. It can describe someone who is forgetful or unable to think clearly, often used in informal contexts to express exasperation or lighthearted teasing about someone's confusion.

Strokes25Frequency#3703DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, being 糊涂 can be endearing, often used among friends or family when someone makes a silly mistake, reflecting a sense of camaraderie rather than harsh criticism.

Memory tip

Imagine a person trying to cook with a pot of glue (糊) instead of a pot of soup. The sticky situation symbolizes their 糊涂 (hú tú) state, making them confused and silly in the kitchen.

Meanings of 糊涂

hútu(hu2tu5)
1muddled
2silly
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 糊涂

糊涂Simplified
糊塗Traditional
25Strokes
—Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#3703Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L7AdvancedCEFRC2

Podcast: 糊涂

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Podcast: 糊涂

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AI study notes for 糊涂

Quick Contrast

糊涂 (hú tú) vs 笨 (bèn) — use 糊涂 for confusion or forgetfulness, while 笨 implies a lack of intelligence.

Usage Notes

Be cautious not to confuse 糊涂 with similar-sounding words like 狐狸 (hú lí, 'fox'), which has a different meaning. This word is typically used in informal settings and may come across as playful rather than serious.

HSK Study Tips

As an HSK Level 5 word, 糊涂 connects to other terms describing emotions and states of mind, such as 感觉 (gǎn jué, 'feeling') or 明白 (míng bái, 'understand'). Focus on using it in conversational contexts to express confusion.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 糊涂 with 迷糊 (mí hú), which means 'dazed' or 'in a daze.' For example, saying '我今天迷糊' instead of '我今天糊涂' may lead to misunderstanding the intended meaning.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 糊涂

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Component characters

糊húcongee
HSK 715 strokes米
View full entry
涂túto apply (paint etc)
HSK 710 strokes氵
View full entry

How to say muddled in Chinese

“muddled” in Chinese is糊涂hútu

The term 糊涂 (hú tú) refers to a state of being muddled, confused, or silly. It can describe someone who is forgetful or unable to think clearly, often used in informal contexts to express exasperation or lighthearted teasing about someone's confusion.

When to use 糊涂

Be cautious not to confuse 糊涂 with similar-sounding words like 狐狸 (hú lí, 'fox'), which has a different meaning. This word is typically used in informal settings and may come across as playful rather than serious.

糊涂 or something close to it

糊涂 (hú tú) vs 笨 (bèn) — use 糊涂 for confusion or forgetfulness, while 笨 implies a lack of intelligence.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 糊涂 with 迷糊 (mí hú), which means 'dazed' or 'in a daze.' For example, saying '我今天迷糊' instead of '我今天糊涂' may lead to misunderstanding the intended meaning.

Write 糊涂

糊
涂

Practice writing 糊涂 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar patterns of 糊涂

糊涂 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 3 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Fill the gap

Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.

我可不想让你把事情弄得一塌____。

I have no intention of letting you balls it up.

Example sentences for 糊涂 (22)

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1
我可不想让你把事情弄得一塌糊涂。

wǒ kě bù xiǎng ràng nǐ bǎ shìqing nòng de yìtāhútú。

I have no intention of letting you balls it up.
2
你说话像个糊里糊涂耽于幻想的人。

nǐ shuōhuà xiàng gè hú lǐ hútu dān yú huànxiǎng de rén。

You're talking like an addled romantic.
3
别跑题，否则你会把我搞糊涂的。

bié pǎo tí， fǒuzé nǐ huì bǎ wǒ gǎo hútu de。

Let's keep to the subject, or you'll get me too confused.
4
要是不常用脑子，你就会变得糊涂起来。

yàoshi bù chángyòng nǎozi， nǐ jiù huì biàn de hútu qǐlái。

If you don't keep your brain working you go gaga.
5
我们稀里糊涂，看串了数字栏。

wǒmen xī lǐ hútu， kàn chuàn le shùzì lán。

We had stupidly been looking at the wrong column of figures.
6
我慢悠悠地走着去看迈克尔·弗莱恩的戏剧《糊涂戏班》。

wǒ màn yōu yōu dì zǒu zhe qù kàn mài kè ěr· fú lái ēn de xìjù《 hútu xì bān》。

I trolled along to see Michael Frayn's play, "Noises Off"
7
事情发生得太快，把布赖恩给弄糊涂了。

shìqing fāshēng de tài kuài， bǎ bù lài ēn gěi nòng hútu le。

Things were happening too quickly and Brian was confused.
8
“这算是哪门子的聚会！”——“就是，简直是一塌糊涂。”

“ zhè suànshì nǎ mén zi de jùhuì！”——“ jiùshì， jiǎnzhí shì yìtāhútú。”

"Some party!"—"Yep. One hell of a party."
9
我们公司近几年败得一塌糊涂。

wǒmen gōngsī jìn jǐ nián bài de yìtāhútú。

Our firm has taken a terrible beating in recent years.
10
这会儿那可怜的老家伙又喝得糊里糊涂的了。

zhèhuìr nà kělián de lǎojiā huǒ yòu hē de hú lǐ hútu de le。

Right now the poor old devil's drinking himself silly.
11
他因为工作太多，脑子都糊涂了，连钥匙放哪儿都忘了。

Tā yīnwèi gōngzuò tài duō, nǎozi dōu hútu le, lián yàoshi fàng nǎ'er dōu wàng le.

He was so muddled from too much work that he even forgot where he put his keys.
12
她的解释让我们更加糊涂，不知该怎么做决定。

Tā de jiěshì ràng wǒmen gèngjiā hútu, bù zhī gāi zěnme zuò juédìng.

Her explanation made us even more muddled, not knowing how to make a decision.
13
昨天晚上喝多了酒，今天早上头脑还是有点糊涂。

Zuótiān wǎnshàng hē duō le jiǔ, jīntiān zǎoshang tóunǎo háishì yǒu diǎn hútu.

I drank too much last night, and my mind is still a bit muddled this morning.
14
他在会议上讲得太快，我完全听糊涂了。

Tā zài huìyì shàng jiǎng de tài kuài, wǒ wánquán tīng hútu le.

He spoke too fast in the meeting, and I was completely muddled.
15
她从小就有些糊涂，总是把左右弄反。

Tā cóngxiǎo jiù yǒu xiē hútu, zǒng shì bǎ zuǒyòu nòng fǎn.

She's been a bit muddled since childhood, always mixing up left and right.
16
信息太多，我的脑子一下子就糊涂了。

Xìnxī tài duō, wǒ de nǎozi yíxiàzi jiù hútu le.

There was too much information, and my brain got muddled all at once.
17
他因为工作太多，脑子都糊涂了，连钥匙放哪儿都忘了。

Tā yīnwèi gōngzuò tài duō, nǎozi dōu hútu le, lián yàoshi fàng nǎ'er dōu wàng le.

He was so muddled from too much work that he even forgot where he put his keys.
18
她的解释让我们更加糊涂，不知该怎么做决定。

Tā de jiěshì ràng wǒmen gèngjiā hútu, bù zhī gāi zěnme zuò juédìng.

Her explanation made us even more muddled, not knowing how to make a decision.
19
昨天晚上喝多了酒，今天早上头脑还是有点糊涂。

Zuótiān wǎnshàng hē duō le jiǔ, jīntiān zǎoshang tóunǎo háishì yǒu diǎn hútu.

I drank too much last night, and my mind is still a bit muddled this morning.
20
他在会议上讲得太快，我完全听糊涂了。

Tā zài huìyì shàng jiǎng de tài kuài, wǒ wánquán tīng hútu le.

He spoke too fast in the meeting, and I was completely muddled.
21
她从小就有些糊涂，总是把左右弄反。

Tā cóngxiǎo jiù yǒu xiē hútu, zǒng shì bǎ zuǒyòu nòng fǎn.

She's been a bit muddled since childhood, always mixing up left and right.
22
信息太多，我的脑子一下子就糊涂了。

Xìnxī tài duō, wǒ de nǎozi yíxiàzi jiù hútu le.

There was too much information, and my brain got muddled all at once.

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Frequently asked questions about 糊涂

No, 糊涂 is primarily an informal term and is best used among friends or in casual conversations.

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