Chinese Conversation · Level 26
90 words
Chinese word
小孩
Pronunciation
Pinyinxiǎo hái
Meaning
- nounchild
Example
他家有两个小孩。tā jiā yǒu liǎng gè xiǎo hái
His family has two children.
More examples
妈妈正在照顾小孩。mā mā zhèng zài zhào gù xiǎo hái
Mom is taking care of the child.
Core concept
A young child seen in ordinary family life as still needing adult care.
Common phrases
两个小孩liǎng gè xiǎo hái
two children
照顾小孩zhào gù xiǎo hái
care for a child
抱着小孩bào zhe xiǎo hái
hold a child
Similar words
孩子hái zi: A familiar daily-use term referring to a child.
小朋友xiǎo péng yǒu: A fond way of calling a young child, often a toddler.
宝宝báo bǎo: A tender term used for a baby or very young infant.
Definition in Chinese
口语中常用的词，泛指年纪较小、需要照顾的人。kóu yǔ zhōng cháng yòng de cí fàn zhǐ nián jì jiào xiǎo xū yào zhào gù de rén
Word origin
小 (xiǎo, "small") + 孩 (hái, "child") forms a transparent compound that presents childhood through the idea of being small.
Usage tips
- For a counted noun phrase, Chinese normally places 个 (gè, "classifier") between the numeral and 小孩 (xiǎohái, "child"), unlike English, which puts the number directly before the noun.