Meaning of 小孩儿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2]
How to use 小孩儿
小孩儿 is a casual, spoken word for a kid, common in Beijing and northern China. It can refer to children in general or to someone's own child. Example: 他家有两个小孩儿。(Tā jiā yǒu liǎng ge xiǎoháir.) His family has two kids.
小 (xiǎo) means small and 孩 (hái) means child, so 小孩 is simply a small child. The 儿 (ér) on the end is the northern "r" sound, the same one you hear in 这儿 (zhèr) and 哪儿 (nǎr).
Common mistake: Learners often read 儿 as a separate syllable and say xiǎo hái ér. It should blend into one syllable, háir, with the tongue curling at the end. Also note that 小孩儿 means a child, not specifically a son. For a son, use 儿子 (érzi).
小孩儿 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.
小 xiǎo · small · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
孩 hái · baby · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
儿 ér · son · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 小孩儿.
| 孩子 | háizi | child |
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | young lady; miss |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to |
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 一点儿 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
Questions about 小孩儿
What does 小孩儿 mean?
小孩儿 (xiǎoháir) means "erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2]" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 小孩儿?
小孩儿 is made of 3 characters: 小 (3 strokes), 孩 (9 strokes), 儿 (2 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 小孩儿 an HSK word?
Yes. 小孩儿 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 小孩儿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 小孩儿 is written 小孩兒.
What is the difference between 小孩儿 and 孩子?
Both mean child. 孩子 (háizi) is more neutral and is used in both writing and speech, while 小孩儿 sounds more casual and stresses that the child is young. Parents usually say 我的孩子 (wǒ de háizi) for my child.
Can I just say 小孩 without the 儿?
Yes. 小孩 (xiǎohái) has the same meaning and is standard in southern China, Taiwan, and in writing. The 儿 version is mainly a northern speech habit.