秘密

See also: 祕密

Chinese

		secret	secret; confidential; close secret; confidential; close; thick; dense
trad. (秘密/祕密)		秘/祕	密
simp. (秘密)		秘	密

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): mìmì

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧˋ ㄇㄧˋ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): бими (bimi, III-II)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): bei³ mat⁶

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): bei¹ mit⁵

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): pi-me̍t

  (Hailu, HRS): bi^ˇ med^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): bi⁴ mêd⁶

• Eastern Min (BUC): bé-mĭk
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): pì-bi̍t

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bi³ mig⁸ / bi³ mêg⁸

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵pi-miq₈
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): bei⁴ mi⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mìmì → mìmi (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧˋ ㄇㄧˋ → ㄇㄧˋ ˙ㄇㄧ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mìmi̊
    • Wade–Giles: mi⁴-mi⁵
    • Yale: mì-mi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mih.mih
    • Palladius: мими (mimi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi⁵¹/ → /mi⁵¹ mi¹/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 密密 密祕 / 密秘 汨汨 祕密 / 秘密 秘密

Note: Initial of first syllable is irregular (due to assimilation).

• • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: бими (bimi, III-II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁴⁴ mi⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bei³ mat⁶
    • Yale: bei maht
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bei³ mat⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: béi³ med⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pei̯³³ mɐt̚²/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: bei¹ mit⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pei³³ ᵐbit̚³²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pi-me̍t
    • Hakka Romanization System: bi med
    • Hagfa Pinyim: bi⁴ med⁶
    • Sinological IPA: /pi⁵⁵ met̚⁵/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: bi^ˇ med^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /pi¹¹ met²/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: bi⁴ mêd⁶
    • Sinological IPA: /pi⁵³ mɛt̚⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: bé-mĭk
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi²¹³⁻⁵⁵ miʔ⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Jinjiang, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pì-bi̍t
    • Tâi-lô: pì-bi̍t
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pie'bit
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /pi²¹⁻⁴¹ bit̚⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /pi¹¹⁻⁵³ bit̚⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /pi²¹⁻⁵³ bit̚¹²¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /pi⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ bit̚²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /pi²¹⁻⁵³ bit̚⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bi³ mig⁸ / bi³ mêg⁸
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pì mi̍k / pì me̍k
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi²¹³⁻⁵⁵ mik̚⁴/, /pi²¹³⁻⁵⁵ mek̚⁴/

Note: bi3 mêg8 - Jieyang.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵pi-miq₈
    • MiniDict: pi^去 mih^入
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²pi-miq₅
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /pi³³ miɪʔ⁴⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: bei⁴ mi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pe̞i̯⁴⁵ mi²⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: pijH mit

Rime
Character	秘	密
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	幫 (1)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	脂 (17)	質 (49)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	兵媚切	美畢切
Baxter	pijH	mit
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/pˠiɪH/	/mˠiɪt̚/
Pan Wuyun	/pᵚiH/	/mᵚit̚/
Shao Rongfen	/piɪH/	/miet̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/pjiH/	/mjit̚/
Li Rong	/pjiH/	/mjĕt̚/
Wang Li	/piH/	/mĭĕt̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/piH/	/mi̯ĕt̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bì	mì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bei3	mat6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*mpriɡs  mriɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	密
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	mì
Middle Chinese	‹ mit ›
Old Chinese	/*mri[t]/
English	dense
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	秘	密
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	553	591
Phonetic component	必	必
Rime group	至	質
Rime subdivision	2	2
Corresponding MC rime	祕	密
Old Chinese	/*mpriɡs/	/*mriɡ/
Notes	祕注俗字

Noun

秘密

1. secret (knowledge that is hidden)

   保守秘密  ―  bǎoshǒu mìmì  ―  to keep a secret

   商業秘密／商业秘密  ―  shāngyè mìmì  ―  trade secret

   掌握國家秘密／掌握国家秘密  ―  zhǎngwò guójiā mìmì  ―  to hold state secrets

Synonyms

• 隱秘／隐秘 (yǐnmì)

Adjective

秘密

1. secret (being or kept hidden)

   秘密結社／秘密结社  ―  mìmì jiéshè  ―  secret society

   秘密文件  ―  mìmì wénjiàn  ―  secret documents

Synonyms

• 詭秘／诡秘 (guǐmì)
• 隱秘／隐秘 (yǐnmì)

Antonyms

• 公開／公开 (gōngkāi)

Derived terms

• 商業秘密 / 商业秘密 (shāngyè mìmì)
• 國家秘密 / 国家秘密 (guójiā mìmì)
• 秘密結社 / 秘密结社 (mìmì jiéshè)
• 秘密警察 (mìmì jǐngchá)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (祕密 / 秘密 (mìmì)):

• → Japanese: 秘(ひ)密(みつ) (himitsu)
• → Korean: 비밀(祕密) (bimil)
• → Vietnamese: bí mật (祕密)

Others:

• → Zhuang: mimiz

See also

• 機密／机密 (jīmì)
• 絕密／绝密 (juémì)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
秘	密
ひ Grade: 6	みつ Grade: 6
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
祕密 (kyūjitai)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ひみつ [hìmítsú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [çimʲit͡sɨ]

Adjective

秘(ひ)密(みつ) • (himitsu) -na (adnominal 秘(ひ)密(みつ)な (himitsu na), adverbial 秘(ひ)密(みつ)に (himitsu ni))

1. secret

Inflection

Inflection of 秘密

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	秘密だろ	ひみつだろ	himitsu daro
Continuative (連用形)	秘密で	ひみつで	himitsu de
Terminal (終止形)	秘密だ	ひみつだ	himitsu da
Attributive (連体形)	秘密な	ひみつな	himitsu na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	秘密なら	ひみつなら	himitsu nara
Imperative (命令形)	秘密であれ	ひみつであれ	himitsu de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	秘密ではない 秘密じゃない	ひみつではない ひみつじゃない	himitsu de wa nai himitsu ja nai
Informal past	秘密だった	ひみつだった	himitsu datta
Informal negative past	秘密ではなかった 秘密じゃなかった	ひみつではなかった ひみつじゃなかった	himitsu de wa nakatta himitsu ja nakatta
Formal	秘密です	ひみつです	himitsu desu
Formal negative	秘密ではありません 秘密じゃありません	ひみつではありません ひみつじゃありません	himitsu de wa arimasen himitsu ja arimasen
Formal past	秘密でした	ひみつでした	himitsu deshita
Formal negative past	秘密ではありませんでした 秘密じゃありませんでした	ひみつではありませんでした ひみつじゃありませんでした	himitsu de wa arimasen deshita himitsu ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	秘密で	ひみつで	himitsu de
Conditional	秘密なら（ば）	ひみつなら（ば）	himitsu nara (ba)
Provisional	秘密だったら	ひみつだったら	himitsu dattara
Volitional	秘密だろう	ひみつだろう	himitsu darō
Adverbial	秘密に	ひみつに	himitsu ni
Degree	秘密さ	ひみつさ	himitsusa

Classical conjugation of "秘密なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	秘密なら	ひみつなら	fimitunara
Continuative (連用形)	秘密に[1] 秘密なり[2]	ひみつに ひみつなり	fimituni fimitunari
Terminal (終止形)	秘密なり	ひみつなり	fimitunari
Attributive (連体形)	秘密なる	ひみつなる	fimitunaru
Realis (已然形)	秘密なれ	ひみつなれ	fimitunare
Imperative (命令形)	秘密なれ	ひみつなれ	fimitunare
Key constructions
Negative	秘密ならず	ひみつならず	fimitunarazu
Contrasting conjunction	秘密なれど	ひみつなれど	fimitunaredo
Causal conjunction	秘密なれば	ひみつなれば	fimitunareba
Conditional conjunction	秘密ならば	ひみつならば	fimitunaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	秘密なりき	ひみつなりき	fimitunariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	秘密なりけり	ひみつなりけり	fimitunarikeri
Adverbial	秘密に	ひみつに	fimituni
[1]Without auxiliary verb. [2]With auxiliary verb.

Noun

秘(ひ)密(みつ) or 秘密(ヒミツ) • (himitsu) 

1. secret

   ハリー・ポッターと秘(ひ)密(みつ)の部(へ)屋(や)

   Harī Pottā to Himitsu no Heya

   Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

   • 1905, 夏目漱石, 吾輩は猫である:

     下女(げじょ)は国事(こくじ)の秘密(ひみつ)でも語(はか)る時(とき)のように大得意(だいとくい)である。

     Gejo wa kokuji no himitsu demo hakaru toki no yō ni daitokui de aru.

     The maid acted as if she were telling him some kind of national secret.

Usage notes

More formal than 内緒(ないしょ) (naisho), though both can be used in a casual setting.

Synonyms

• 内緒(ないしょ) (naisho), 内密(ないみつ) (naimitsu), 密(ひそ)か (hisoka)

See also

• 機(き)密(みつ) (kimitsu)

References

• “秘密”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025

Korean

Hanja in this term
秘	密

Noun

秘密 • (bimil) (hangeul 비밀)

1. alternative spelling of 祕密

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
秘	密

Noun

秘密

1. chữ Hán form of bí mật (“secret”)