HSK · Level 8
135 words
Chinese word
娃娃
Pronunciation
Pinyinwá wá
Meaning
- noundoll
Example
她给女儿买了个娃娃。tā gěi nǚ ér mǎi le gè wá wá
She bought her daughter a doll.
More examples
孩子抱着娃娃睡着了。hái zi bào zhe wá wá shuì zháo le
The child fell asleep hugging a doll.
Core concept
A little human-shaped companion, made for play or used as a warm way to refer to a small child.
Common phrases
娃娃机wá wá jī
claw machine
娃娃屋wá wá wū
dollhouse
小娃娃xiǎo wá wá
little doll
Similar words
玩具wán jù: A thing created for people to use while playing.
孩子hái zi: A young child who has not finished growing.
儿童ér tóng: Children of a young age, especially in formal descriptions.
Definition in Chinese
指供儿童玩耍或摆放的、模仿人体形状的小玩具，也常在口语中用作对幼儿的爱称。zhǐ gòng ér tóng wán shuǎ huò bǎi fàng de mó fǎng rén tǐ xíng zhuàng de xiǎo wán jù yě cháng zài kóu yǔ zhōng yòng zuò duì yòu ér de ài chēng
Word origin
The repeated form 娃娃 (wáwá, "doll; child") grows from 娃 (wá, "young child"), with repetition giving the word a small and affectionate everyday feel.
Usage tips
- Context often identifies the intended sense: a purchase or a toy-related action points to an object, while a family description points to a child.
Other meanings
- stuffed toynoun
- childnoun
Related words
- 娃娃机wá wá jīclaw machinenoun
- 娃娃屋wá wá wūdollhousenoun
- 娃娃脸wá wá liǎnbaby facenoun