仔

zǎi, zī, zǐ

亻 + 子

Definitions

zǐ (adjective) small; young; offspring

zǎi (noun) young animal; offspring of animal

zī (adjective) careful; meticulous

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 子 represents the sound.

About

The character 仔 is a phono-semantic compound: 亻 (person) suggests the meaning, and 子 (child) provides the sound. Its core definition is 'young animal,' particularly livestock offspring like whelps, with the human radical extended to classify juvenile beings of any species. In southern China, it took on regional significance, frequently referring to young boys, sons, and various colloquial archetypes including workers. An adverbial function emerged, signifying 'in a careful, meticulous manner,' a sense that likely arose from the attentive handling needed for vulnerable young creatures.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这只小狗仔很可爱。

Zhè zhǐ xiǎo gǒu zǎi hěn kě'ài.

This little puppy is very cute.

请仔细看看这份文件。

Qǐng zǐxì kàn kan zhè fèn wénjiàn.

Please take a careful look at this document.

他是妈妈的好儿子。

Tā shì māma de hǎo érzi.

He is his mother's good son.

农场里有很多小鸡仔。

Nóngchǎng lǐ yǒu hěn duō xiǎo jī zǎi.

There are many chicks on the farm.

那个小伙子做事很仔细。

Nàge xiǎohuǒzi zuòshì hěn zǐxì.

That young man handles things very meticulously.

仔猪的健康需要特别关注。

Zǐzhū de jiànkāng xūyào tèbié guānzhù.

The health of piglets requires special attention.

你必须仔仔细细地检查一遍。

Nǐ bìxū zǐzǐxìxì de jiǎnchá yī biàn.

You must check it over carefully and thoroughly.

经过仔兽阶段的精心喂养，这只熊猫幼崽顺利长大了。

Jīngguò zǐ shòu jiēduàn de jīngxīn wèiyǎng, zhè zhī xióngmāo yòuzǎi shùnlì zhǎng dà le.

After careful feeding during the cub stage, this panda cub has grown up successfully.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 子

仔