小朋友 (xiǎopéngyǒu) · child
小朋友 (xiǎopéngyǒu) means “child; little friend”. It is written with 3 characters: 小 (small) + 朋 (friend) + 友 (friend). It is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 小朋友 is built
The characters
小 xiǎo · small
What 小 is made of
- 亅 — hook
- 八bā — eight
Origin hint: Dividing 八 by a line 亅 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
朋 péng · friend
What 朋 is made of
- 月yuè — moon; month
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 月yuè — moon; month
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
Origin hint: Two people 月 walking together (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
友 yǒu · friend
What 友 is made of
- 又yòu — and
Origin hint: Two hands 又 joined, representing friendship; 又 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
Questions about 小朋友
What does 小朋友 mean?
小朋友 (xiǎopéngyǒu) means “child; little friend”.
How do you pronounce 小朋友?
小朋友 is pronounced xiǎopéngyǒu.
Which HSK level is 小朋友?
小朋友 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021).
Related words
- 小孩儿xiǎoháirchild
- 小姐xiǎojieMiss
- 小时xiǎoshíhour
- 小学xiǎoxuéprimary school
- 小学生xiǎoxuéshēngprimary school student
- 从小cóngxiǎofrom childhood
- 大小dàxiǎosize
- 小声xiǎoshēngin a low voice
- 小时候xiǎoshíhouin one's childhood
- 小说xiǎoshuōnovel
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 15: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.