Chinese word

男孩儿

Pronunciation

Pinyinnán háir

Meaning

  • nounboy

Example

我家有两个男孩儿。wǒ jiā yǒu liǎng gè nán háir

My family has two boys.

Illustration for 男孩儿 (boy)

More examples

小男孩儿在吃饭。xiǎo nán háir zài chī fàn

The little boy is eating.

Core concept

A young male child spoken of with the easy warmth of family conversation.

Common phrases

  • 两个男孩儿liǎng gè nán háir

    two boys

  • 小男孩儿xiǎo nán háir

    little boy

  • 男孩儿们nán háir men

    boys

Similar words

男孩nán hái: A general term for a boy, used in both speech and writing.
男孩子nán hái zi: An affectionate, gentle term for a boy who is still a child.
男生nán shēng: A term for a boy or young man, especially among students or friends.
孩子hái zi: A general term for a child without marking the child's gender.

Definition in Chinese

口语中常用的名词，指年龄较小的男性，带有亲昵或口语色彩。kóu yǔ zhōng cháng yòng de míng cí zhǐ nián líng jiào xiǎo de nán xìng dài yǒu qīn nì huò kóu yǔ sè cǎi

Word origin

男孩儿 (nánháier, "boy") is formed from 男 (nán, "male") + 孩 (hái, "child"), with 儿化 (érhuà, "r-like ending") marking a familiar spoken form.

Usage tips

  • English can use boy for a male of almost any age in some expressions, but this Chinese word normally points to a child rather than an adult.

Opposites

Related words

  • 男孩nán háiboynoun
  • 男孩子nán hái ziboynoun

Word lists with this word