Chinese word

小孩儿

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo háir

Meaning

  • nounchild

Example

家里有两个小孩儿。jiā lǐ yǒu liǎng gè xiǎo háir

There are two children in the family.

Illustration for 小孩儿 (child)

More examples

小孩儿在公园玩。xiǎo háir zài gōng yuán wán

The child is playing in the park.

Core concept

A young child pictured in the ordinary world of home, play, and friendly talk.

Common phrases

  • 两个小孩儿liǎng gè xiǎo háir

    two children

  • 小孩儿们xiǎo háir men

    children

  • 很多小孩儿hěn duō xiǎo háir

    many children

Similar words

孩子hái zi: A child, expressed in a common and neutral way.

Definition in Chinese

口语中对年纪小的儿童的称呼，语气亲切，带有说话人与孩子距离较近的感觉，正式文体中较少使用。kóu yǔ zhōng duì nián jì xiǎo de ér tóng de chēng hū yǔ qì qīn qiè dài yǒu shuō huà rén yǔ hái zi jù lí jiào jìn de gǎn jué zhèng shì wén tǐ zhōng jiào shǎo shǐ yòng

Word origin

The form 小 (xiǎo, "small") + 孩 (hái, "child") combines with 儿化 (érhuà, "r-ending pronunciation"), a northern spoken feature that marks the word as colloquial.

Usage tips

  • The word sounds natural when children are discussed in daily life, but it is less suitable for formal announcements and documents.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word