Chinese word

幼儿

Pronunciation

Pinyinyòu ér

Meaning

  • nounyoung child

Example

老师抱起了幼儿。lǎo shī bào qǐ le yòu ér

The teacher picked up the young child.

Illustration for 幼儿 (young child)

More examples

父母带幼儿去公园玩。fù mǔ dài yòu ér qù gōng yuán wán

The parents took the young child to the park to play.

Core concept

A child at the early stage of life before independent self-care.

Common phrases

  • 幼儿园yòu ér yuán

    preschool

  • 幼儿教育yòu ér jiào yù

    early childhood education

  • 幼儿用品yòu ér yòng pǐn

    children's products

Similar words

孩子hái zi: A broad term for a child of any age.
小孩xiǎo hái: An everyday spoken term for a small child.
宝宝báo bǎo: A loving name for a baby or young child used by parents and other close adults.

Definition in Chinese

泛指年龄小、尚需受照料的儿童，侧重年幼与依赖性的状态。fàn zhǐ nián líng xiǎo shàng xū shòu zhào liào de ér tóng cè zhòng nián yòu yǔ yī lài xìng de zhuàng tài

Word origin

幼儿 (yòuér, "young child") joins 幼 (yòu, "young") and 儿 (ér, "child") to focus on both a child's youth and reliance on adult care.

Usage tips

  • The word 幼儿 (yòuér, "young child") is more typical of organized childcare and official communication than of relaxed family conversation.

Other meanings

  • infantnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 幼儿园yòu ér yuánpreschoolnoun
  • 幼儿期yòu ér qīearly childhoodnoun
  • 幼儿教育yòu ér jiào yùearly childhood educationnoun

Word lists with this word