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鬼子 (guǐ zi) — (derogatory, historical) foreign devil, especially Japanese invaders

Definition

A strong historical insult meaning 'foreign devil,' most commonly aimed at Japanese invaders during WWII. It is deeply derogatory — do not use it casually or about any modern person.

noun
(derogatory, historical) foreign devilespecially Japanese invaders
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，鬼子。
    Kàng rì zhàn zhēng shí qī, lǎo bǎi xìng fēi cháng tòng hèn rì běn guǐ zi.
    During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the common people bitterly hated the Japanese devils.
  • ，鬼子。
    Zhè ge cí shì wǔ rǔ xìng de, nǐ qiān wàn bú yào suí biàn jiào bié rén guǐ zi.
    This word is insulting — you absolutely should not casually call someone a "guizi."
  • 鬼子。
    Lǎo diàn yǐng lǐ jīng cháng chū xiàn dǎ guǐ zi de qíng jié.
    Old movies often have scenes of fighting the "foreign devils."

Origin

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.

鬼guǐdevil
子zǐpejorative tone

鬼 gives the image of a devil, and 子 adds a familiar, pejorative tone.

Characters in this word

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

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →

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.

Open 子 →
Appears in
History

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