崽 (zǎi) - Zai — child, offspring, kid & young animal

崽Tone 3

zǎi ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

悦丈

崽 · zǎi

Zai — child, offspring, kid;

young animal;

young person (often used in certain dialects, especially in Hunan, Sichuan, and other southwestern regions);

sometimes used affectionately or derogatorily depending on context.

Zai — child, offspring, kidyoung animalyoung person (often used in certain dialects, especially

Usage highlights

child, kidyoung animal, offspringHunan boypigletcub, whelpbrat, troublesome kid

Synonyms

  • 孩子— child, kid (standard Mandarin)
  • 儿子— son (standard Mandarin)
  • 小孩— child, little one (colloquial)
  • 伢子— kid, boy (dialectal, similar regions)

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • That little kid is so cute (那个崽崽好可爱).
  • He's a local boy from Hunan (他是湖南的伢崽).
  • The piglet is healthy (猪崽很健康).
  • Don't be such a brat (莫像个坏崽子一样).

Collocations

  • child, kid(崽崽)
  • young animal, offspring(崽子)
  • Hunan boy(伢崽)
  • piglet(猪崽)
  • cub, whelp(狼崽)
  • brat, troublesome kid(坏崽子)

Idioms

  • Bear cubs are taught to swim by being pushed into deep water(熊崽学泳 — metaphorical for tough love or learning through hardship)
  • Like father, like son(虎父无犬崽 — variant of 虎父无犬子)
  • A dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix(龙生龙，凤生凤 — implying offspring inherit parents' traits, sometimes used with 崽)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Widely used in southwestern Mandarin dialects (e.g., Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou) and Xiang Chinese as a colloquial term for 'child' or 'young one'.
  • Often carries an affectionate, familiar, or sometimes slightly derogatory tone depending on context and intonation.
  • In some rural contexts, used for young livestock or animals (e.g., 猪崽 'piglet').
  • Can be reduplicated (崽崽) for added affection, similar to 'little one' or 'kiddo'.

FAQ