Meaning of 杯子
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- cup
- glass
Measure word: 個|个,隻|只
How to use 杯子
杯子 is the general word for a cup or glass you drink from. When counting drinks, people drop 子 and use 杯 as a measure word, as in 一杯水. Example: 我的杯子在桌子上。(Wǒ de bēizi zài zhuōzi shang.) My cup is on the table.
杯 (bēi) has the wood radical 木 on the left, a reminder that early cups were often carved from wood. Add the noun suffix 子 (zi) and you get 杯子, an everyday cup.
Common mistake: Learners often say 一个杯子水 when they mean a cup of water. The correct form is 一杯水 (yì bēi shuǐ), while 一个杯子 (yí ge bēizi) means one empty cup as an object. Also remember that 子 here is neutral tone, so say bēizi, not bēizǐ.
杯子 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.
杯 bēi · cup · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
子 zi · noun suffix · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 杯子.
| 孩子 | háizi | child |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 房子 | fángzi | house; building (single- or two-story) |
| 桌子 | zhuōzi | table; desk |
| 包子 | bāozi | baozi; bao (steamed stuffed bun) |
| 本子 | běnzi | book; notebook |
| 样子 | yàngzi | appearance; manner |
| 日子 | rìzi | day; a (calendar) date |
| 干杯 | gānbēi | to drink a toast; Cheers! (proposing a toast) |
| 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
| 瓶子 | píngzi | bottle |
| 例子 | lìzi | case; (for) instance |
Questions about 杯子
What does 杯子 mean?
杯子 (bēizi) means "cup; glass" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 杯子?
杯子 is made of 2 characters: 杯 (8 strokes), 子 (3 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 杯子 an HSK word?
Yes. 杯子 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 杯子 mean both cup and glass?
Yes. 杯子 covers mugs, teacups, and drinking glasses. If you need to be specific, you can say 玻璃杯 (bōlibēi) for a glass or 茶杯 (chábēi) for a teacup.
How do I say 'one more cup' when ordering a drink?
Say 再来一杯 (zài lái yì bēi). Here 杯 works as a measure word, so you do not need 子.