矮个儿 (ǎi gè r) — a short person; a person of short stature

Definition

Colloquial noun for 'a short person.' Pairs naturally with its opposite 高个儿. Slightly casual, more common in spoken Chinese than written.

noun
a short persona person of short stature
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，矮个儿。
    Tā gè zi hěn ǎi, shì gè ǎi gè r.
    He is very short and is a short person.
  • 矮个儿，。
    Bié xiǎo kàn nà ge ǎi gè r, tā dǎ lán qiú hěn lì hài.
    Don't underestimate that short guy; he is really good at basketball.
  • 矮个儿。
    Wǒ men bān yǒu liǎng gè ǎi gè r hé yí gè gāo gè r.
    Our class has two short people and one tall person.

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.

矮个short build
矮ǎishort个gèbuild
偏正Modifier + head
儿érerhua

矮 gives short, 个 points to build, and 儿 adds the familiar spoken form.

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
矢矢shǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
委
委wěi矮ǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

矮 is made of 矢 and 委: 矢 relates to the meaning, and 委 gives the sound.

Open 矮 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
固
固gù個ge
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Open 个 →

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

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →

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