Radical studio
子 Child / noun suffix
A small character that means child, and a common noun ending.
Meaning and position
Meaning: child; noun suffix
Where it sits: Full character or right/bottom component.
Word and suffix
子 as a word can mean child. In compounds it often loses stress: 桌子 zhuōzi, 孩子 háizi.
That light second syllable is usually a neutral tone. Do not give it a full third-tone dip.
好 contains 子, but you learn 好 as “good,” not as “woman-child” in daily speech.
Classroom uses
儿子, 女儿, 孩子 show up as soon as you talk about family.
When 子 is a suffix, English “-er” or dummy noun endings are closer than “child.”
Listen for the short, light ending — that is the suffix, not a new content word.
Example characters
子
zǐ / zi
child / suffix
Citation zǐ; suffix usually zi (neutral).
孩子
háizi
child / kid
Second syllable light.
桌子
zhuōzi
table
Suffix 子, not “table-child.”
Takeaways
- Suffix 子 is usually a light zi, not a full third tone.
- Family words 孩子/儿子/女儿 reuse this piece.
- Do not translate every 子 as “son.”