All About Chinese Prefixes and Suffixes
In this article, we are going to take a look at a very practical part of vocabulary-prefixes and suffixes. You might find it a little bit odd because prefixes and suffixes sound like an English concept. However, it does appear in Mandarin Chinese too. As a beginner, you may not pay much attention to it, but as you get further into your studies, you’ll learn that some characters add a specific meaning to certain words. For example, several words have the character 老 at the beginning, and some words have the same character 子 at the end. Yes, those are actually Chinese prefixes and suffixes. Similar to English, prefixes and suffixes not only give you a clue to the meaning of the word but also provide an easy and fast method to expand your vocabulary, not to mention the cultural elements related to them.
The formation of words is strongly linked to culture; it reflects the mindset of Chinese speakers. So here is a guide to several frequently-used prefixes and suffixes to help you explore this part of Chinese. We hope this guide will help your understanding of Chinese words and culture.
Prefixes in Chinese
In Chinese, prefixes are a grammatical element added to the beginning of a word, such as 老,小,阿, 第,and 初. These prefixes must be combined with other characters to form a word and can’t be used alone.
For clarity and convenient reading, a chart of prefixes is provided below.
老 lǎo | no meaning | 老虎 (lǎo hǔ) tiger / 老鼠(lǎo shǔ)mouse / 老鹰(lǎo yīnɡ)eagle |
---|---|---|
Respect | 老师 (lǎoshī.) teacher / 老板(lǎobǎn)boss, shopkeeper | |
amity | 老张啊,好久不见!(Lǎo zhānɡ a, hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn!) Zhang, long time no see! 老公(lǎoɡōnɡ)husband / 老婆(lǎopó)wife | |
Seniority | 老大(lǎo dà)big brother, big cheese / 老二(lǎo’èr)the second child, ranking second / 老三(lǎo sān)the third child, ranking third | |
小 xiǎo | no meaning | 小姐(xiǎo jiě)Miss / 小心(xiǎo xīn)to be careful / 小丑(xiǎo chǒu)Joker, clown / 小住(xiǎo zhù)to live / 小气(xiǎo qi)to be mean |
affection | 小李,帮我打印一下。(Xiǎo Lǐ, bānɡ wǒ dǎyìn yí xià.)Lee, help me to print it. / 小贺啊,回来啦!(Xiǎo Hè ā, huí lái lā!) He, you’re back! | |
阿 ā |
affection | 阿四(ā sì)the fourth child, ranking fourth / 阿六(ā liù)the sixth child, ranking sixth / 阿王(ā wánɡ)Wang (family name) / 阿武(ā wǔ)Wu (family name) / 阿丽(ā lì)li (nickname) / 阿姨(ā yí)antie, a calling to other woman with similar age as your mother / 阿婆(ā pó)grandma, a calling to other elder woman |
第 dì |
Ordinal | 第一(dì yī)first / 第二(dì èr)second / 第十(dì shí)tenth |
初 chū |
sequence in Chinese lunar time | 初一(chū yī)first day(lunar year) / 初二(chū èr)second day (lunar year) 初十(chū shí)tenth day (lunar year) |
Prefix in Chinese
老 lǎo
* Original meaning and use:
As an adjective, 老 means old or elder and can be used as a predicate in a sentence or to describe other elements.
e.g.
爸爸妈妈老了。(Bàbɑ māmɑ lǎo le.)My parents are old.
老人 (lǎo rén) old man
老奶奶 (lǎo nǎinɑi) old woman
* As a prefix in Chinese:
老is a dummy prefix. In a word, it either has no meaning or indicates respect, an amiable feeling or seniority among a group of people.
Rule:
Goes before animal names, people, monosyllabic family names or numbers.
Structure:
老 + animal name/person/monosyllabic family name/number
i. no meaning
老虎 (lǎo hǔ) tiger
老鼠(lǎo shǔ)mouse
老鹰(lǎo yīnɡ)eagle
ii. respect
老师 (lǎoshī.) teacher
老板(lǎobǎn)boss; shopkeeper
iii. amiable feeling
老张啊,好久不见!(Lǎo zhānɡ a, hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn!) Zhang, long time no see!
老公(lǎoɡōnɡ)husband
老婆(lǎopó)wife
iv. seniority
老大(lǎo dà)big brother;big cheese
老二(lǎo’èr)the second child;ranking second
老三(lǎo sān)the third child; ranking third
小 xiǎo
* Original meaning and use:
As an adjective, 小 means young or small and can be used as a predicate in a sentence or to describe other elements.
e.g.
这件衣服太小了。(Zhè jiàn yīfu tài xiǎo le.)This clothes is too small.
小朋友 (xiǎo pénɡyou) little boy or girl
小孩子 (xiǎo háizi) little child
* As a prefix in Chinese:
小 is also a dummy prefix. In a word, it either shows no meaning or affection. When indicating affection, it is usually used by a senior towards their subordinates or by an elder towards younger people.
Rule:
Goes before people, adjectives or monosyllabic family names.
Structure:
小 + person/monosyllabic family name/other elements
i. no meaning
小姐(xiǎo jiě)Miss
小心(xiǎo xīn)to be careful
小丑(xiǎo chǒu)Joker; clown
小住(xiǎo zhù)to live for a while
小气(xiǎo qi)to be mean
ii. affection
小李,帮我打印一下。(Xiǎo Lǐ, bānɡ wǒ dǎyìn yí xià.)Lee, help me to print it.
小贺啊,回来啦!(Xiǎo Hè ā, huí lái lā!) He, you’re back!
阿 ā
* Original meaning and use:
阿 is usually combined with other elements to form a word. By itself, 阿 doesn’t mean anything.
* As a prefix in Chinese:
As a very common prefix, 阿is usually used as a greeting and indicates affection.
Rule:
Goes before numbers, monosyllabic family names, nicknames or relative nouns.
Structure:
阿 + number/monosyllabic family name/nickname/relative noun
-
-
- affection
-
阿四(ā sì)the fourth child;ranking fourth
阿六(ā liù)the sixth child;ranking sixth
阿王(ā wánɡ)Wang (family name)
阿武(ā wǔ)Wu (family name)
阿丽(ā lì)li (nickname)
阿姨(ā yí)antie; a calling to other woman with similar age as your mother
阿婆(ā pó)grandma; a calling to other elder woman
第 dì
* Original meaning and use:
第 is usually combined with other elements to form a word. By itself, 第 doesn’t mean anything.
* As a prefix in Chinese:
As a prefix, 第is usually used to indicate order.
Rule:
Goes before an integer.
Structure:
第 + integer
-
-
- ordinal
-
第一(dì yī)first
第二(dì èr)second
第十(dì shí)tenth
初 chū
* Original meaning and use:
初 means beginning or start. In modern Chinese, when 初 is used alone, it is usually a part of a fixed expression. Otherwise, it is part of a word.
e.g.
初来乍到(chū lái zhà dào)to be new here
他在学初级汉语。(Tā zài xué chūjí hànyǔ.)He is learning elementary Chinese.
我最初是想去北京的,最后却来了上海。
(Wǒ zuì chū shì xiǎnɡ qù Běijīnɡ de, zuì hòu què lái le Shànɡhǎi.)
At the beginning, I wanted to go to Beijing, however I came to Shanghai at last.
* As a prefix in Chinese:
As a prefix, 初is usually used to indicate sequence in Chinese lunar time.
Rule:
Goes before numbers less than or equal to ten.
Structure:
初 + number(≤10)
-
-
- sequence in Chinese lunar time
-
初一(chū yī)first day(lunar year)
初二(chū èr)second day (lunar year)
初十(chū shí)tenth day (lunar year)
Suffixes in Chinese
In modern Chinese, there are significantly more suffixes than prefixes, so, in this part, we will go over several important suffixes, such as 子, 儿,生,头,然,者,家,and 员, which will help you express a wide variety of ideas. These suffixes either show people’s affection, distinguish a group of people, or change the part of speech when added after other elements. So, let’s see how they work.
For clarity and convenient reading, a chart of suffixes is provided below.
子 zi |
nominal suffix | 桌子 (zhuō zi) desk, table / 椅子 (yǐ zi) chair / 凳子 (dènɡ zi) stool / 杯子 (bēi zi) cup 筷子 (kuài zi) chopsticks / 本子 (běn zi) notebook / 箱子 (xiānɡ zi) box / 盒子 (hé zi) case, box / 橙子 (chénɡ zi) orange / 橘子 (jú zi) tangerine / 桃子 (táo zi) peach / 儿子 (ér zi) sun / 沙子 (shā zi) sand / 盖子 (gài zi) lid / 傻子 (shǎ zi) the fool / 疯子 (fēnɡ zi) madman |
---|---|---|
儿 ér |
nominal suffix | 花儿 (huā’r) flower / 盆儿 (pén’r) pot / 棍儿 (ɡùn’r) stick / 车儿 (chē’r) car / 事儿 (shì’r) thing / 女儿 (nǚ’r) daughter / 画儿 (huà’r) painting / 卷儿 (juǎn’r) curve / 盖儿 (ɡài’r) lid |
头 tóu |
nominal suffix | 木头 (mù tou) wood / 石头 (shí tou) stone / 骨头 (ɡǔ tou) bone / 看头 (kàn tou) be worthy of watching / 听头 (tīnɡ tou) be worthy of listening / 念头 (niàn tou) idea, thought / 准头 (zhǔn tou) accuracy / 甜头 (tián tou) sweet taste, benefit |
然 rán |
indicates a state | 忽然 (hū rán) suddenly / 果然 (ɡuǒ rán) sure enough / 恍然 (huǎnɡ rán) suddenly / 突然 (tū rán) sudden / 显然 (xiǎn rán) obvious / 既然 (jì rán) now that / 虽然 (suī rán) even though |
者 zhě |
people with a certain feature | 读者 (dúzhě) reader / 作者 (zuòzhě) author / 学者 (xuézhě) scholar / 患者 (huànzhě) patient / 长者 (zhǎnɡzhě) eldership / 伤者 (shānɡzhě) the wounded / 笔者 (bǐzhě) writer |
家 jiā |
people engaged in some field of activity | 画家 (huàjiā) painter / 科学家 (kēxuéjiā) scientist / 天文学家 (tiānwénxuéjiā) astronomer / 作家 (zuòjiā) writer / 小说家 (xiǎoshuōjiā) fictionist / 数学家 (shùxuéjiā) mathematian |
员 yuán |
people engaged in activity or group | 球员 (qiúyuán) player / 演员 (yǎnyuán) actor / 队员 (duìyuán) teammate / 会员 (huìyuán) member / 成员 (chénɡyuán) member / 团员 (tuányuán) group member |
们 men |
indicate plural | 我们 (women) we, us / 你们 (nǐmen) you / 他们 (tāmen) they, them / 她们 (tāmen) they, them / 它们 (tāmen) they, them / 人们 (rénmen) people / 歌手们 (ɡēshǒumen) singers / 志愿者们 (zhìyuànzhěmen) volunteers |
边 biān |
attached to nouns of locality | 上边(shànɡbiɑn)upper / 下边(xiàbiɑn)lower / 左边(zuǒbiɑn)left / 右边(yòubiɑn)right / 外边(wàibiɑn)outside / 里边(lǐbiɑn)inside / 前边(qiánbiɑn)front / 后边(hòubiɑn)back / 东边(dōnɡbiɑn)east / 西边(xībiɑn)west / 北边(běibiɑn)north 南边(nánbiɑn)south |
Suffixes in Chinese
子 zi
* Original meaning and use:
In ancient Chinese, 子(zǐ) with third tone is an expression showing respect to honorable people.
e.g.
孔子(Kǒnɡ zǐ)Confucius, a Chinese philosopher
荀子(Xún zǐ)Xunzi, a Chinese philosopher
老子(Lǎo zǐ)Laozi, a Chinese philosopher
孟子(Mènɡ zǐ)Mengzi, a Chinese philosopher
* As a suffix in Chinese:
A very common suffix, 子(zi)pronounced with neutral tone is only a grammatical particle in modern Chinese. It is always used as a nominal suffix, added after another character.
Rule:
Goes after a partial noun, verb, or adjective to make it into a noun
Structure:
Partial noun/verb/adjective + 子
i. noun +子
桌子 (zhuō zi) desk; table
椅子 (yǐ zi) chair
凳子 (dènɡ zi) stool
杯子 (bēi zi) cup
筷子 (kuài zi) chopsticks
本子 (běn zi) notebook
箱子 (xiānɡ zi) box
盒子 (hé zi) case; box
橙子 (chénɡ zi) orange
橘子 (jú zi) tangerine
桃子 (táo zi) peach
儿子 (ér zi) sun
沙子 (shā zi) sand
ii. verb+子
盖子 (gài zi) lid
iii. adjective+子
傻子 (shǎ zi) the fool
疯子 (fēnɡ zi) madman
儿 ér
* Original meaning and use:
儿 originally meant son in Chinese and can be used alone or combined with other words.
e.g.
儿啊,你终于回来了。(Ér a, nǐ zhōnɡyú huílái le.)Oh my son, you finally back.
儿孙自有儿孙福。(Ér sūn zì yǒu ér sūn fú.) The children can take care of themselves when they grow up.
儿女双全 (Ér nǚ shuānɡ quán) with son and daughter
* As a suffix in Chinese:
As a common suffix, 儿(written as ‘r’ in pinyin)is only a grammatical particle. It mainly functions as a nominal suffix added after other characters.
Rule:
Goes after a partial noun or verb to form a noun.
Structure:
nominal morpheme/verbal morpheme + 儿
i. noun+儿
花儿 (huā’r) flower
盆儿 (pén’r) pot
棍儿 (ɡùn’r) stick
车儿 (chē’r) car
事儿 (shì’r) thing
女儿 (nǚ’r) daughter
ii. verb+儿
画儿 (huà’r) painting
卷儿 (juǎn’r) curve
盖儿 (ɡài’r) lid
头 tou
* Original meaning and use:
As a noun, 头 (tóu) means head. It can be used alone or combined with other words.
e.g.
你的头怎么了?(Nǐ de tóu zěnme le?) What’s wrong with your head?
我头疼。(Wǒ tóu ténɡ.) I have a headache.
头发 (tóufɑ) hair
* As a suffix in Chinese:
As a suffix, 头(tou) is pronounced with neutral tone. The ancient meaning of head has been obscured. It mainly functions as a nominal suffix, added after another character.
Rule:
Goes after a partial noun, verb, or adjective to make it into a noun.
Structure:
Partial noun/verb/adjective + 头
i. noun+头
木头 (mù tou) wood
石头 (shí tou) stone
骨头 (ɡǔ tou) bone
ii. verb+头
看头 (kàn tou) be worthy of watching
听头 (tīnɡ tou) be worthy of listening
念头 (niàn tou) idea; thought
iii. adjective+头
准头 (zhǔn tou) accuracy
甜头 (tián tou) sweet taste; benefit
然 rán
* Original meaning and use:
然originally functioned as an adjective meaning right or as a pronoun meaning such or this way.
e.g.
不以为然 (bù yǐ wéi rán) not to regard it as right
当然 (dānɡ rán) of course
然后 (rán hòu) then
* As a suffix in Chinese:
When used as a suffix, the original meaning of 然 doesn’t matter and it is used to describe a kind of state. It’s mainly used after another character to form an adverb, adjective or conjunction.
Rule:
Goes after a character to form an adverb, adjective or conjunction.
Structure:
a character + 然
i. form an adverb
忽然 (hū rán) suddenly
果然 (ɡuǒ rán) sure enough
恍然 (huǎnɡ rán) suddenly
ii. form an adjective
突然 (tū rán) sudden
显然 (xiǎn rán) obvious
iii. form a conjunction
既然 (jì rán) now that
虽然 (suī rán) even though
者 zhě
* Original meaning and use:
In ancient Chinese, 者 was used to refer to people or things with a certain featureafter another element. It is often used in Chinese poems or idioms.
e.g.
逝者如斯夫,不舍昼夜。(Shì zhě rú sī fu, bù shě zhòu yè.)
How it flows on, never creasing, night and day!
知人者智,自知者明。(Zhī rén zhě zhì, zì zhī zhě mínɡ.)
He who knows others is learned, and he who knows himself is wise.
* As a suffix in Chinese:
When used as a suffix, 者 actually keeps the characteristic of referring to people with a certain feature to some degree but becomes more ambiguous. It is mainly applied as a noun suffix added after another morpheme.
Rule:
Goes after a verb, adjective or part of a noun to make it into a noun.
Structure:
verb/adjective/partial noun + 者
i. verb+者
读者 (dúzhě) reader
作者 (zuòzhě) author
学者 (xuézhě) scholar
ii. adjective+者
患者 (huànzhě) patient
长者 (zhǎnɡzhě) eldership
伤者 (shānɡzhě) the wounded
iii. noun+者
笔者 (bǐzhě) writer
家 jiā
* Original meaning and use:
In modern Chinese, 家 means family or home. It can be used alone or combined with other words.
e.g.
这是我家。(Zhè shì wǒ jiā.) This is home.
家人 (jiā rén) family
家庭 (jiā tínɡ) household
* As a suffix in Chinese:
As a nominal suffix, 家 can be put after activities to indicate people engaged in that activity.
Rule:
Goes after an activity.
Structure:
activity + 家
-
-
- people engaged in some field of activity
-
画家 (huàjiā) painter
科学家 (kēxuéjiā) scientist
天文学家 (tiānwénxuéjiā) astronomer
作家 (zuòjiā) writer
小说家 (xiǎoshuōjiā) fictionist
数学家 (shùxuéjiā) mathematian
员 yuán
* Original meaning and use:
员 refers to people and can be used alone or combined with other words.
e.g.
你是我们队里的一员。 (Nǐ shì women duì lǐ de yì yuán.) You are a member of our team.
人员 (rén yuán) personnel
员工 (yuánɡōnɡ) staff
动员 (dònɡyuán) call forth
* As a suffix in Chinese:
As a nominal suffix, 员 can be put after an activity or group to indicate people who do that activity or are members of that group.
Rule:
Goes after a character for an activity or group.
Structure:
activity/group + 员
i. people engaged in activity
球员 (qiúyuán) player
演员 (yǎnyuán) actor
ii. people in a group
队员 (duìyuán) teammate
会员 (huìyuán) member
成员 (chénɡyuán) member
团员 (tuányuán) group member
们 men
* Original meaning and use:
们 usually needs to be combined with other elements to form a word. By itself, 们 doesn’t mean anything.
* As a suffix in Chinese:
As a suffix, 们 is mainly put after nouns or pronouns to indicate pluralization.
Rule:
Goes after a noun or pronoun to make it plural.
Structure:
noun/pronoun + 们
-
-
- indicate plural
-
我们 (wǒmen) we; us
你们 (nǐmen) you
他们 (tāmen) they; them
她们 (tāmen) they; them
它们 (tāmen) they; them
人们 (rénmen) people
歌手们 (ɡēshǒumen) singers
志愿者们 (zhìyuànzhěmen) volunteers
边 biān
* Original meaning and use:
边 (biān) with first tone refers to the edge, boundary, border or side.
e.g.
边缘 (biānyuán) edge
边疆 (biānjiānɡ) boundary
边界 (biānjiānɡ) border
等边三角形 (děnɡ biān sānjiǎoxínɡ) equilateral triangle
* As a suffix in Chinese:
边is a suffix attached to nouns that indicate location.
Rule:
Goes after after a location nouns.
Structure:
location noun+边
-
-
- adjunct to location noun
-
上边(shànɡbiɑn)upper
下边(xiàbiɑn) lower
左边(zuǒbiɑn)left
右边(yòubiɑn)right
外边(wàibiɑn)outside
里边(lǐbiɑn)inside
前边(qiánbiɑn)front
后边(hòubiɑn)back
东边(dōnɡbiɑn)east
西边(xībiɑn)west
北边(běibiɑn)north
南边(nánbiɑn)south
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