Chinese word

钉子

Pronunciation

Pinyindīng zi

Meaning

  • nounnail

Example

请把这根钉子敲进去。qǐng bǎ zhè gēn dīng zi qiāo jìn qù

Please hammer this nail in.

Illustration for 钉子 (nail)

More examples

墙上还缺一根钉子。qiáng shàng hái quē yì gēn dīng zi

There is still one nail missing from the wall.

Core concept

A narrow metal fastener that enters a material and stays in place by its head.

Common phrases

  • 把钉子钉在墙上bǎ dīng zi dīng zài qiáng shàng

    nail a nail onto the wall

  • 用锤子敲钉子yòng chuí zi qiāo dīng zi

    hammer a nail using a hammer

  • 一根钉子yì gēn dīng zi

    one nail

Similar words

螺丝钉luó sī dīng: A small threaded metal fastener tightened by turning it into place.
螺栓luó shuān: A thick metal fastener tightened with a nut to hold parts firmly together.
订书钉dìng shū dīng: A small U-shaped metal fastener bent through sheets of paper to hold them together.

Definition in Chinese

通常由金属制成的小而细的棒状物，通过用锤子等敲入材料使其穿透并以头部止住，从而把物件固定在一起。tōng cháng yóu jīn shǔ zhì chéng de xiǎo ér xì de bàng zhuàng wù tōng guò yòng chuí zi děng qiāo rù cái liào shǐ qí chuān tòu bìng yǐ tóu bù zhǐ zhù cóng ér bǎ wù jiàn gù dìng zài yì qǐ

Word origin

The noun 钉子 (dīngzi, "nail") is built from 钉 (dīng, "nail") + 子 (zi, "noun-forming suffix"), with 子 turning the concrete base into an everyday object noun.

Usage tips

  • The second syllable is usually light in this noun, so dīngzi has one strong beat followed by a shorter unstressed syllable.

Related words

  • 钉dīnghammer inverb
  • 铁钉tiě dīngiron nailnoun

Word lists with this word