肚子 (dù zi) — belly; abdomen; stomach | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Everyday word for 'belly/stomach' as a body area (饿了, 肚子疼). 胃 is the internal organ; 腹 is formal/literary.

noun

bellyabdomenstomach

Measure word · 个

，肚子。
Wǒ zǎo shàng méi chī fàn, xiàn zài dù zi hěn è.
I didn't eat breakfast, now my stomach is hungry.
，肚子。
Tā yīn wèi chī huài dōng xi, dù zi téng le yí gè wǎn shàng.
Because he ate something bad, his stomach hurt all night.
肚子，。
Dài fu kàn le kàn wǒ de dù zi, shuō méi wèn tí.
The doctor looked at my belly and said it's fine.

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.

子zǐnoun marker

肚 means belly, 子 is used to form a noun, so together they mean belly.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

⺼Written in full as肉ròu

Sound part声符shēngfú

土

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side ⺼ is 肉 (flesh), marking body parts like belly; the right side 土 gives the pronunciation.

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