The word **筷子 (kuàizi)** for "chopsticks" is a compound term formed through a combination of semantic and phonetic elements. The first character, **筷 (kuài)**, is itself a cleverly constructed **phonetic-semantic compound (形声字)**: its top part (**竹, zhú**) signifies "bamboo," the traditional material, while its bottom part (**快, kuài**) primarily provides the pronunciation but also carries a connotation of "quick" or "agile," humorously alluding to the utensil's function. The second character, **子 (zi)**, is a very common **nominal suffix** added to form a concrete, everyday noun. Historically, the term arose as a **linguistic taboo replacement**; the older word for chopsticks was **箸 (zhù)**, but because it sounded like "to stop" (住), it was considered unlucky for travelers, so the auspicious "quick" character was adopted instead, eventually forming the standard word used today.