宅子 (zhái zi) — house, residence | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Colloquial word for 'house' — like the everyday spoken version of 住宅, often an older or larger standalone house. Pairs with measure words 栋/座, not 间.

noun

houseresidence

Measure word · 座

宅子，。
Zhè dòng zhái zi hěn dà, yǒu wǔ gè fáng jiān.
This house is very big, with five rooms.
，。
Tā mǎi le yí dòng lǎo zhái zi, zhǔn bèi zhuāng xiū.
He bought an old house and plans to renovate it.
宅子。
Zhè zuò zhái zi yǐ jīng yǒu bǎi nián lì shǐ le.
This house already has a history of a hundred years.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

“宅” means house, and “子” gives the colloquial word for a residence.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

宀乇宅

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀miánroof

Sound part声符shēngfú

乇

乇tuō宅zhái

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 宅, the 宀 part is a roof, and the 乇 part gives the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in