蚊子 (wén zi) — mosquito | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Mosquito — a specific small flying insect that bites. 虫子 is the general word for 'bug/insect/worm'; 蚊帐 is the net hung over a bed to keep 蚊子 out.

noun

mosquito

Measure word · 只

Examples

蚊子。
Wǎn shàng shuì jiào shí tǎo yàn de shì jiù shì yǒu wén zi zài ěr biān fēi.
The annoying thing when sleeping at night is having a mosquito buzzing around your ear.
蚊子，。
Tā bèi wén zi yǎo le, qǐ le gè dà bāo.
He was bitten by a mosquito and got a big bump.
蚊子，？
Fáng jiān lǐ yǒu yì zhī wén zi, nǐ tīng dào le ma?
There's a mosquito in the room — did you hear it?

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.

蚊wénmosquito

子zǐname ending

蚊 names the insect, and 子 completes the everyday name for it.

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.

虫文蚊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

虫虫chónginsect

Sound part声符shēngfú

文

文wén蚊wén

Same sound today

蚊 pairs 虫 (insect) with 文, which gives the sound.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Insects

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.