孩子
child; kid
háizi
What does 孩子 mean?
孩子 (háizi) is the everyday Chinese word for 'child' or 'kid.' Two important uses: (1) literal sense — a young person, usually pre-teen, but often extended up through teenagers; (2) family sense — your son or daughter at any age. A 50-year-old can talk about 我的孩子 ('my child') referring to a 25-year-old offspring. To specify gender, Chinese uses 男孩(子) ('boy') or 女孩(子) ('girl'). The 子 (zi) here is a noun-suffix that's pronounced toneless — common in two-syllable nouns like 桌子, 椅子, 房子. Don't confuse 孩子 with 儿子 (érzi, 'son specifically') or 女儿 (nǚ'ér, 'daughter specifically'); 孩子 is gender-neutral and number-neutral. For a small child, 小孩 (xiǎohái) is more affectionate; for formal contexts (medical, legal), 儿童 (értóng) is used.
Note: Universal everyday word for 'child.' For very young kids, 小孩 (xiǎohái) or 小孩子 is more colloquial; 儿童 (értóng) is the formal term used on signs ('children's hospital,' 'children's day').
Character breakdown
child (the 子 'child' radical on the left tells you it's about a kid)
noun suffix here (toneless); originally 'child / son' on its own
Memory hook: Both characters carry the 子 'child' shape — doubled up, you definitely have a kid.
Measure word for 孩子
Example sentences
他有两个孩子。
Tā yǒu liǎng ge háizi.
He has two kids.
neutral
这个孩子很可爱。
Zhège háizi hěn kě'ài.
This kid is really cute.
spoken
孩子们在公园里玩。
Háizi men zài gōngyuán lǐ wán.
The kids are playing in the park.
neutral
我的孩子今年五岁了。
Wǒ de háizi jīnnián wǔ suì le.
My child is five years old this year.
neutral
好孩子，快去睡觉吧。
Hǎo háizi, kuài qù shuìjiào ba.
Good kid, hurry off to sleep.
spoken
Common phrases with 孩子
Synonyms
小孩 is more colloquial and emphasizes 'small' — usually under 10 or so. 孩子 is the broader, neutral term that can include teenagers and adult offspring.
儿童 is the formal term — used on signage and in legal/educational contexts: 儿童医院 (children's hospital), 儿童节 (Children's Day). You wouldn't say 我的儿童 to mean 'my child.'
孩儿 is a literary/older form, more common in northern speech and in fixed phrases like 男孩儿 (boy). 孩子 is the standard modern word.
Don't confuse 孩子 with
儿子 specifically means 'son.' 孩子 is gender-neutral 'child' and can mean son OR daughter, one OR several. 我有两个孩子 = I have two kids; 我有两个儿子 = I have two sons.
还 ('still / also') sounds identical to 孩 (hái) but is a totally different word — an adverb, not a noun. 我还是孩子 (I'm still a kid) uses both in one sentence.
海子 ('lake / pond' in some dialects, also a famous poet's pen name) sounds close but uses third tone hǎi. 孩子 = kid, second tone hái.