Babies & Children in Chinese 孩子
háizi
Baby / child in Chinese are 婴儿 / 孩子 (yīng ér / hái zi).
Also searched for as: baby, child, kids.
Who are the youngest? 15 essential babies & children words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The everyday word for child in Chinese is 孩子 (hái zi), but parents usually call a baby 宝宝 (bǎo bao), an affectionate word that also turns up as a pet name between couples. This topic covers the words for babies and children, from 婴儿 (yīng ér), the more formal word for an infant, to the things they do, such as 哭 (kū), to cry, and 长大 (zhǎng dà), to grow up.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 小孩 | xiǎo hái | kid |
| 宝宝 | bǎo bao | baby |
| 婴儿 | yīng ér | infant |
| 男孩 | nán hái | boy |
| 女孩 | nǚ hái | girl |
| 儿童 | ér tóng | children |
| 出生 | chū shēng | to be born |
| 生日 | shēng rì | birthday |
| 长大 | zhǎng dà | to grow up |
| 照顾 | zhào gu | to look after |
| 哭 | kū | to cry |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh; to smile |
| 可爱 | kě ài | cute |
| 奶粉 | nǎi fěn | formula milk |
Usage tips
- 孩子 (hái zi) also means 'son or daughter' at any age, so parents of grown-ups still say 我的孩子 (wǒ de hái zi); 小孩 (xiǎo hái) is only for young children.
- 婴儿 (yīng ér) and 儿童 (ér tóng) sound formal and appear on signs and products, such as 儿童票 (ér tóng piào), a child's ticket; in conversation people say 宝宝 (bǎo bao) or 小孩 (xiǎo hái).
- To ask a young child's age, say 你几岁了？ (nǐ jǐ suì le); 几 suits the small numbers of a child's age.
Common mistakes
- Reading 长大 as cháng dà: when 长 means 'to grow' it's pronounced zhǎng, so say zhǎng dà; cháng is the reading for 'long'.
- Leaving out 在 after 出生 (chū shēng), as in 我出生北京: say 我出生在北京 (wǒ chū shēng zài Běi jīng) or, more naturally in speech, 我是在北京出生的 (wǒ shì zài Běi jīng chū shēng de).
Mini dialogue
- A你的宝宝多大了？Nǐ de bǎo bao duō dà le?How old is your baby?
- B八个月了。Bā ge yuè le.Eight months.
- A真可爱！他常常哭吗？Zhēn kě ài! Tā cháng cháng kū ma?So cute! Does he cry a lot?
- B饿了就哭，吃饱了就笑。È le jiù kū, chī bǎo le jiù xiào.He cries when he's hungry and smiles once he's full.
Example sentences
- 孩子们在外面玩。The children are playing outside.
- 那个小孩很聪明。That kid is very clever.
- 宝宝睡着了，小声点。The baby's asleep; keep your voice down.
- 婴儿每天要睡很久。Infants sleep for a long time every day.
- 那个男孩是我弟弟。That boy is my younger brother.
- 穿红裙子的女孩是我妹妹。The girl in the red dress is my younger sister.
- 这个公园有儿童游乐区。This park has a children's play area.
- 我是在北京出生的。I was born in Beijing.
- 明天是我妈妈的生日。Tomorrow is my mum's birthday.
- 你长大想做什么？What do you want to be when you grow up?
- 奶奶在家照顾宝宝。Grandma looks after the baby at home.
- 宝宝饿了就会哭。The baby cries when it's hungry.
- 她一看到妈妈就笑了。She smiled as soon as she saw her mum.
- 这只小猫真可爱！This kitten is so cute!
- 宝宝的奶粉快喝完了。The baby's formula milk is nearly finished.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Babies & children speaking island has 8 everyday questions about babies & children to prepare your own answers to.