Chinese word

胡子

Pronunciation

Pinyinhú zi

Meaning

  • nounbeard

Example

他的胡子很长。tā de hú zi hěn cháng

His beard is very long.

Illustration for 胡子 (beard)

More examples

刮胡子之后，他的脸看起来更年轻。guā hú zi zhī hòu tā de liǎn kàn qǐ lái gèng nián qīng

After shaving his beard, his face looks younger.

Core concept

Hair growing across the upper lip, chin, and cheeks, treated as one broad kind of facial hair.

Common phrases

  • 修剪胡子xiū jiǎn hú zi

    trim one's beard

  • 刮胡子guā hú zi

    shave one's beard

  • 留着胡子liú zhe hú zi

    grow a beard

Similar words

胡须hú xū: A formal or written term for facial hair growing on the upper lip, chin, or cheeks.
胡渣hú zhā: Short, rough facial hair that appears after going unshaven.

Definition in Chinese

面部生长的通称，指口元、下巴及两颊等处的毛发，包含修剪或未修剪的各种须类。miàn bù shēng zhǎng de tōng chēng zhǐ kǒu yuán xià bā jí liǎng jiá děng chù de máo fà bāo hán xiū jiǎn huò wèi xiū jiǎn de gè zhǒng xū lèi

Word origin

胡子 (húzi, "facial hair") is commonly explained as 胡 (hú, "Hu") + 子 (zi, "noun-forming suffix"), reflecting an old association between facial hair and people called Hu.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this is a neutral noun, so it does not by itself suggest that the facial hair is long, messy, or fashionable.

Other meanings

  • mustachenoun
  • stubblenoun

Related words

Word lists with this word