The word **夹子** is formed through a common morphological process in Chinese where the root character **夹 (jiā)**, which functions as a verb meaning "to pinch," "to clip," or "to clamp," is combined with the nominalizing suffix **子 (zi)**. This suffix **子** is often added to verbs or other roots to create a concrete noun that denotes a tool, device, or object associated with the action. Therefore, **夹子** literally means "a thing used for pinching/clipping," resulting in the common noun for "clip," "clamp," or "tongs."