小个子 (xiǎo gè zi) — short person, little guy

Definition

Refers to a person of short stature; commonly used as a friendly nickname (often for a boy or man), more casual than calling someone 矮 directly.

noun

short personlittle guy

Measure word · 个

小个子。
Nà ge xiǎo gè zi shì wǒ de tóng xué.
That short guy is my classmate.
小个子，。
Dà jiā dōu jiào tā xiǎo gè zi, yīn wèi tā gè zi bù gāo.
Everyone calls him Little Guy because he's not tall.
小个子，。
xiǎo gè zi Suī rán bù gāo, dàn pǎo dé hěn kuài.
Although the short guy is not tall, he runs very fast.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

个子stature

个gèclassifier for people子zǐnoun-forming element

小 means small, and 个子 refers to a person's stature, so together they describe someone short or small.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

亻固個

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

固

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

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

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