Chinese character for child: 孩子 (háizi)
The Chinese word for child is 孩子 (háizi). It is the everyday word for a child or children, as in 小孩子 (little kids). It is also used by parents to mean 'my child'.
How 孩子 is built
Both characters contain 子 (zǐ), the picture of a baby wrapped in cloth with arms stretched out. 孩 (hái) joins 子 on the left with 亥 (hài) on the right, which gives the sound. The 子 in 孩子 is said in a light tone. As a memory aid, two babies, 子 and 子, for 'children'. Both characters are identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
孩 hái · child
- 子zǐ — child
- 了liǎo / le — finish
- 乛 — bent stroke
- 亅 — hook
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 了liǎo / le — finish
- 亥hài — 12th terrestrial branch
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亠tóu — lid
Origin hint: 子 gives the meaning, 亥 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
子 zi · noun suffix
- 了liǎo / le — finish
- 乛 — bent stroke
- 亅 — hook
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: A child in a wrap, with outstretched arms but bundled legs (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 孩子 is used
Other ways to say child
- 子 zǐ — child, son; single character used in compounds
- 宝贝 bǎobèi — baby, darling (term of endearment)
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 孩子 is identical in both scripts; parents often prefer their children's names instead of the word 'child'.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for child?
孩子 (háizi) means “child”.
How do you pronounce 孩子?
孩子 is pronounced háizi.