娃 (wá) — (bound form) baby; child; (regional) young of an animal
Definition
娃 is a colloquial, affectionate word for a baby or small child (and, regionally, a young animal). It always appears in compounds like 娃娃 or with a modifier (e.g. 男娃, 胖娃) — never alone.
bound form
babychild(regional) young of an animal
Examples
- 。Zhè ge nǚ wá hěn kě ài.This little girl is very cute.
- 娃。Tā jiā yǎng le yì zhī gǒu wá.His family raised a puppy.
- 娃。Tā shēng le yí gè pàng wá.She gave birth to a chubby baby.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
娃 combines 女 (woman) on the left with 圭 on the right; 女 is the meaning part, and 圭 is the sound part.
Appears in
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