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口子 (kǒu zi) — hole, opening, cut, gap (in a surface); (classifier) for the number of people in a family; (colloquial) one's spouse

Definition

Three distinct senses share this word: a literal hole in a surface (unlike 漏洞, which often means a figurative loophole), a colloquial word for one's spouse, and a classifier for family size. The spouse meaning is slangy — use 丈夫/妻子 in writing.

noun
holeopeningcutgap (in a surface)(colloquial) one's spouse
classifier
for the number of people in a family
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 口子。
    Wǒ jiā kǒu zi zuì jìn gōng zuò hěn máng.
    My spouse has been very busy with work lately.
  • 口子。
    Yī fu shàng pò le yí gè kǒu zi.
    There's a hole in the clothes.
  • 口子。
    Tā men jiā yí gòng sān kǒu zi rén.
    Their family has three people in total.

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.

口kǒuopening
子zǐsuffix

The opening sense of 口 is combined with 子 to make 口子.

Characters in this word

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Family & Kinship

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