Meaning of 鸭子
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- duck (CL:隻|只[zhi1])
- (slang) male prostitute
How to use 鸭子
鸭子 is the common spoken word for a duck, counted with 只 (zhī). For example: 河里有三只鸭子。(Hé lǐ yǒu sān zhī yāzi.) There are three ducks in the river. Be aware that in slang it can also mean a male prostitute, so context matters.
鸭 (yā) combines 甲 (jiǎ) on the left with 鸟 (niǎo, bird) on the right. Picture a bird wearing a hard shell like armor, a sturdy duck waddling by the pond, and add the noun suffix 子 (zi) to make the everyday word.
Common mistake: Learners often write 鸭 with 鸟 on the left, or mix it up with 鸡 (jī, chicken), which has 又 instead of 甲 on the left. Also keep the 子 in 鸭子 light and toneless (zi), not a full third-tone zǐ.
鸭子 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.
鸭 yā · duck · 10 strokes
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子 zi · noun suffix · 3 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 鸭子.
Questions about 鸭子
What does 鸭子 mean?
鸭子 (yāzi) means "duck (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (slang) male prostitute" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 鸭子?
鸭子 is made of 2 characters: 鸭 (10 strokes), 子 (3 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 鸭子 an HSK word?
Yes. 鸭子 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 鸭子 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 鸭子 is written 鴨子.
What is the difference between 鸭子 and 鸭?
鸭子 is the everyday word for the live animal. 鸭 alone appears in compounds and food names, such as 北京烤鸭 (Běijīng kǎoyā, Peking roast duck) and 鸭肉 (yāròu, duck meat).
How do you say duckling or goose in Chinese?
A duckling is 小鸭子 (xiǎo yāzi). A goose is 鹅 (é), which also uses the 鸟 bird component.