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HSK 1

杯子

cup; glass; mug

nounneutral
杯
bēi1st tone
子
zineutral tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
bēizi
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
11
Register
neutral
Measure word
个 / 只

Stroke order for 杯子

杯子 is written with 11 strokes (杯: 8, 子: 3). The animation replays automatically.

What does 杯子 mean?

杯子 (bēizi) is the everyday Mandarin noun for a drinking vessel — cup, glass, mug, or tumbler, regardless of material.

The 子 here is a noun suffix (toneless), not a separate word; it turns the single character 杯 into a stand-alone everyday noun, the same way 桌 becomes 桌子 (table). Unlike English, Chinese does not separate 'cup' from 'glass' from 'mug' — 杯子 covers them all, and you specify the material only when it matters: 玻璃杯 (glass cup), 纸杯 (paper cup), 茶杯 (teacup). The measure word for one cup of liquid is also 杯 — note the difference between 一杯水 (a cup of water) and 一个杯子 (one cup as an object).

Character by character

杯bēicup; (also a measure word for cupfuls)
+
子zinoun suffix (neutral tone); originally 'child / small thing'
=
杯子

Memory hook: 杯 has the 木 (wood) radical on the left — early cups were carved from wood.

Example sentences

这是我的杯子。

Zhè shì wǒ de bēizi.

This is my cup.

spoken

请给我一个杯子。

Qǐng gěi wǒ yí gè bēizi.

Please give me a cup.

spoken, polite

杯子里有水。

Bēizi lǐ yǒu shuǐ.

There's water in the cup.

neutral

我要买两个杯子。

Wǒ yào mǎi liǎng gè bēizi.

I want to buy two cups.

spoken

Common phrases with 杯子

一个杯子yí gè bēizione cup
洗杯子xǐ bēiziwash the cup(s)
玻璃杯bōli bēiglass (drinking glass)
纸杯zhǐ bēipaper cup
茶杯chá bēiteacup

Synonyms

茶杯chábēi

Specifically a teacup, often smaller and without a handle. 杯子 is the everyday cover word for any cup.

马克杯mǎkèbēi

A mug — loaned from English. 杯子 is generic; 马克杯 specifies the handled, ceramic mug shape.

Don't confuse 杯子 with

杯bēi

杯 on its own is the measure word for cupfuls (一杯水, a cup of water). 杯子 is the physical object. Don't say 一杯子水 — say 一杯水 or 一个杯子.

瓶子píngzi

瓶子 is a bottle — taller and closed at the top. 杯子 is open-topped.

盘子pánzi

盘子 is a plate. Same 子 suffix, different shape.

FAQ

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