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爹地 (diē de) — daddy (loanword; informal/familiar term for father)

Definition

A cute, baby-talk loanword from English 'daddy' used by young children or playfully by adults. Compare 爸爸 (neutral everyday 'dad') — 爹地 sounds more childlike and affectionate.

noun
daddy (loanword; informal/familiar term for father)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 爹地。
    Wǒ diē de shì wèi yī shēng.
    My daddy is a doctor.
  • 爹地。
    Tā měi cì jiào diē de de shí hou shēng yīn dōu hěn tián.
    Every time she calls 'daddy', her voice is very sweet.
  • 爹地？
    Nǐ diē de shén me shí hou huí lái?
    When will your daddy come back?

Origin

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
父父fùfather
Sound part声符shēngfú
多
多duō爹diē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

爹 has 父, meaning father, on top, and 多 below to give its sound.

Open 爹 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

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