尕 (gǎ) — (dialectal bound morpheme) small; little (used as a diminutive prefix in Northwest Chinese dialects)

Definition

尕 (gǎ) is a dialectal prefix meaning 'little' — a casual, affectionate diminutive from Northwest Chinese (e.g., 尕娃, 尕妹), not used in standard Mandarin.

bound form
(dialectal bound morpheme) smalllittle (used as a diminutive prefix in Northwest Chinese dialects)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 尕。
    Zhè ge gǎ mèi zi cháng dé hěn kě ài.
    This little girl is very cute.
  • 尕，。
    Tā jiā lǐ yǒu gè gǎ wá r, jīn nián sān suì le.
    He has a little boy at home who is three years old this year.
  • 尕。
    Gěi wǒ ná gè gǎ bāo ér guò lái.
    Bring me a little bag.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

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

尕 puts 乃 (breast; milk) beside 小 (small), giving the picture of a small suckling infant.

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