Meaning of 孤儿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- orphan
How to use 孤儿
孤儿 is a neutral noun for a child who has lost one or both parents. It often appears in words like 孤儿院 (gū'éryuàn, orphanage). Example: 他从小就是孤儿。(Tā cóngxiǎo jiù shì gū'ér.) He has been an orphan since he was little.
孤 (gū) means alone, and 儿 (ér) means child. A child who is left alone in the world is an orphan, 孤儿 (gū'ér).
Common mistake: Here 儿 is a full syllable, ér, so do not swallow it into an r sound the way you do in 这儿 (zhèr) or 哪儿 (nǎr). Also keep 孤 in the first tone, and do not confuse it with 狐 (hú, fox), which looks similar on the right side.
孤儿 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
孤 gū · orphaned · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 8
儿 ér · son · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 孤儿.
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 一点儿 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] |
| 一块儿 | yīkuàir | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] |
| 玩儿 | wánr | to play; to have fun |
| 小孩儿 | xiǎoháir | erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2] |
Questions about 孤儿
What does 孤儿 mean?
孤儿 (gū'ér) means "orphan" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 孤儿?
孤儿 is made of 2 characters: 孤 (8 strokes), 儿 (2 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 孤儿 an HSK word?
Yes. 孤儿 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 孤儿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 孤儿 is written 孤兒.
Can 孤儿 be used for adults?
Yes, people sometimes say an adult became a 孤儿 after losing their parents, but the word mainly suggests a child. It can also be used figuratively for something left without support or a home.
What other words use 孤 with the meaning of alone?
Common ones are 孤独 (gūdú, lonely) and 孤单 (gūdān, alone and lonely). Learning these together helps you remember that 孤 carries the idea of being by yourself.