Dictionary › 子
子
zi
子 (zi) means "son; child; seed". It is an HSK 3.0 level 3 word, and was HSK 1 in the old six-level list.
What 子 means
- noun suffix, as in {椅子|yǐ zi} "chair"
How 子 is used in grammar
子 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.
The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 3, suffixes.
Other readings
Example sentences
-
疯子！Madman!
-
照镜子。Look in the mirror.
-
折被子。Fold the quilt.
-
我没穿裤子Wǒ méi chuān kùziI'm not wearing pants.
-
扣子掉了。Kòuzi diào le.The button came off.
-
他是长子。Tā shì zhǎngzǐ.He's the oldest son.
Words starting with 子
- 子弹zǐ dànbullet
- 子女zǐ nǚchildren; sons and daughters
- 子弟zǐ dìchild; the younger generation
- 子宫zǐ gōnguterus; womb
- 子孙zǐ sūnoffspring; posterity
- 子公司zǐ gōng sīsubsidiary company; subsidiary corporation
- 子夜zǐ yèmidnight
- 子民zǐ mínpeople
- 子虚乌有zǐ xū wū yǒu(idiom) to have no basis in fact; to be the product of sb's imagination
- 子系统zǐ xì tǒngsubsystem
- 子时zǐ shí11 pm-1 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)
- 子目zǐ mùsubheading; specific item
- 子产Zǐ ChǎnZi Chan (?-522 BC), statesman and philosopher during the Spring and Autumn period
- 子网zǐ wǎngsubnetwork
- 子代zǐ dàioffspring; child's generation
- 子规zǐ guīcuckoo
- 子供向zǐ gōng xiàng(of a game, movie etc) intended for children…
- 子儿zǐ r(colloquial) penny; buck
- 子域zǐ yùsubfield (math.)
- 子房zǐ fángovary (botany)
- 子级zǐ jí(computing) (attributive) child (in a hierarchy)
- 子长市Zǐ cháng ShìZichang, a county-level city in Yan'an City 延安市
- 子空间zǐ kōng jiān(math) subspace
- 子集zǐ jí(math) subset
Words containing 子
- 孩子hái zichild
- 儿子ér zison
- 桌子zhuō zitable; desk
- 椅子yǐ zichair
- 杯子bēi zicup; glass
- 妻子qī ziwife
- 样子yàng ziappearance; manner; pattern
- 房子fáng zihouse; building (single- or two-story); apartment
- 日子rì ziday; a (calendar) date; days of one's life
- 电子diàn zǐelectronic; electron (particle physics)
- 鼻子bí zinose
- 句子jù zisentence
- 裤子kù zitrousers; pants
- 帽子mào zihat; cap; (fig.) label
- 裙子qún ziskirt
- 筷子kuài zichopsticks
- 盘子pán zitray; plate; dish
- 肚子dù zibelly; abdomen; stomach
- 镜子jìng zimirror
- 叶子yè zileaf; (slang) marijuana
- 孙子sūn zigrandson; son's son
- 猴子hóu zimonkey
- 盒子hé zibox; case; hezi – a savory turnover-like pie in northern Chinese and Mongolian cuisines
- 个子gè zistature; height; size (of a person or object); (agriculture) bundle of cereal stalks tied…
Characters that look like 子
Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.
- 于yúto go; to take; sentence-final interrogative particle
- 手shǒuhand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work
- 干gāndry; dried food; empty; hollow
- 予yǔ(literary) to give
- 千qiānthousand
Where 子 is taught
In the GraphChinese course it is part of HSK 1 Characters · Set 5 (HSK 1), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.
Go deeper
- Every HSK 1 word, with the rest of its level.
- How characters are built from components.
- How to learn Chinese characters.
- The four tones and the neutral tone, to read zi correctly.
- Look up another word in the free dictionary.
Looking a word up is not learning it. GraphChinese puts all of HSK 1–6 into one dependency graph, teaches each piece only once its prerequisites are solid, and schedules reviews to land just before you would forget.
Start learning