Meaning of 鼻子
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- nose
Measure word: 個|个,隻|只
How to use 鼻子
鼻子 is the everyday word for nose, used for people and animals. It often appears with verbs like 流 (liú, to run) or 堵 (dǔ, to be blocked). Example: 我鼻子不舒服。(Wǒ bízi bù shūfu.) My nose feels uncomfortable.
鼻 (bí) has 自 (zì) on top, which once pictured a nose, and Chinese people point to their nose when they say "me." Add the noun suffix 子 (zi) and you get 鼻子, the nose on your face.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable with a full tone, like bízǐ. The 子 here is neutral and light, as in 桌子 (zhuōzi) and 杯子 (bēizi). Some also mix up 鼻 (bí) with 自 (zì), so remember that 鼻 has 自 on top plus more strokes below.
鼻子 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.
鼻 bí · nose · 14 strokes
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子 zi · noun suffix · 3 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 鼻子.
Questions about 鼻子
What does 鼻子 mean?
鼻子 (bízi) means "nose" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 鼻子?
鼻子 is made of 2 characters: 鼻 (14 strokes), 子 (3 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 鼻子 an HSK word?
Yes. 鼻子 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say "runny nose" in Chinese?
Say 流鼻涕 (liú bítì), literally "flowing nose mucus." For example, 我一直流鼻涕。(Wǒ yìzhí liú bítì.) means I keep having a runny nose.
Can 鼻 be used alone without 子?
In daily speech people almost always say 鼻子. On its own, 鼻 mostly appears inside compound words like 鼻涕 (bítì, nasal mucus) and 鼻音 (bíyīn, nasal sound).