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妮子 (nī zi) — girl, lass (dialectal)

Definition

A colloquial, dialectal (mainly northern) word for 'girl / lass'. It sounds rustic and affectionate — far less standard than 女孩. In writing, prefer 女孩 or 姑娘.

noun
girllass (dialectal)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 妮子。
    Zhè ge nī zi hěn cōng ming.
    This girl is very smart.
  • 妮子。
    Wǒ men bān yǒu liǎng gè nī zi.
    Our class has two girls.
  • 妮子。
    Nà ge nī zi shì wǒ péng you.
    That girl is my friend.

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.

妮nīgirl
子zǐsuffix

妮 gives the sense of girl, and 子 is used in many colloquial names.

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
尼
尼ní妮
Same sound today

妮 pairs 女 (woman) with 尼, which gives the sound.

Open 妮 →

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
People (General)

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