兒 meaning and stroke order
Son, child
How to write 兒, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 兒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- child
- son
- non-syllabic diminutive suffix
- retroflex final
How 兒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Son.
儿 gives the meaning and 儿 hints at the sound.
Radical: 儿 (son), shared by 24 characters on this site.
How to remember 兒
兒 has a top part 臼 sitting on 儿, which looks like two little legs. Picture a small child with a big head on short legs, and you have a son or child.
兒 is the traditional form, and 儿 is the simplified form used in mainland China. On its own it means child or son, as in 儿子 (érzi) son and 女儿 (nǚ'ér) daughter. It is also very common as the suffix r, which is added to words like 这儿 (zhèr) here and 哪儿 (nǎr) where. Example: 你去哪儿？(Nǐ qù nǎr?) Where are you going?
Common mistake: Learners often read the suffix as a full extra syllable, saying zhè ér for 这儿. It should blend into one syllable, zhèr, with the tongue curled at the end.
Common words with 兒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 這兒 | zhèr | here | HSK 1 |
| 兒子 | érzi | son | HSK 1 |
| 哪兒 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere | HSK 1 |
| 女兒 | nǚ'ér | daughter | HSK 1 |
| 那兒 | nàr | there | HSK 1 |
| 一會兒 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while | HSK 1 |
| 沒事兒 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work | HSK 1 |
| 一點兒 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] | HSK 1 |
| 女孩兒 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] | HSK 1 |
| 一塊兒 | yīkuàir | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] | HSK 1 |
| 玩兒 | wánr | to play; to have fun | HSK 1 |
| 小孩兒 | xiǎoháir | erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2] | HSK 1 |
| 男孩兒 | nánháir | erhua form of 男孩[nan2 hai2] | HSK 1 |
| 好玩兒 | hǎowánr | erhua variant of 好玩[hao3 wan2] | HSK 1 |
Characters that contain 兒
Learning 兒 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 兒
How many strokes are in 兒?
兒 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 兒 mean?
兒 (ér) means son, child. A common word with it is 这儿 (zhèr), meaning "here".
How do you pronounce 兒?
兒 is pronounced ér, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 兒?
The radical of 兒 is 儿, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 兒 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 兒?
兒 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 儿, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Do I have to use the r sound in words like 一点儿 and 一会儿?
No. Erhua is typical of Beijing and northern speech. Many southern and Taiwanese speakers say 一点 (yīdiǎn) and 一会 (yīhuì) without the r, and both are understood.
Is 这儿 different in meaning from 这里?
They both mean here. 这儿 (zhèr) sounds more casual and northern, while 这里 (zhèlǐ) is neutral and used everywhere, including in writing.