子

zǐ

noun #788

Meanings

1 son
2 child
3 seed

Characters

child; son; suffix for nouns

Pictograph of a swaddled baby with arms outstretched

Examples

孔子是中国的大思想家。

Kǒngzǐ shì Zhōngguó de dà sīxiǎngjiā.

Confucius was a great Chinese thinker.

他有一个儿子。

Tā yǒu yí ge érzi.

He has a son.

Tips

history

子 was an honorific title for great thinkers: 孔子 (Confucius), 老子 (Laozi), 孟子 (Mencius). It meant 'master'.

usage

As a suffix (pronounced zi, neutral tone), 子 turns many words into nouns: 桌子 (table), 椅子 (chair), 杯子 (cup), 孩子 (child).

Stroke Order

子 zǐ