猴子
monkey
hóuzi
What does 猴子 mean?
猴子 (hóuzi) is a noun meaning 'monkey.' The root character 猴 (hóu) means 'monkey,' and 子 is an unstressed noun suffix (neutral tone) that turns it into a full disyllabic word, as with 桌子 (table) and 兔子 (rabbit). The standard measure word is 只 (zhī): 一只猴子 = one monkey.
Culturally, 猴 carries more weight than the English 'monkey': it is one of the twelve zodiac animals (属猴 = born in the year of the Monkey), and the beloved 孙悟空 (Sun Wukong), the Monkey King from Journey to the West, makes it a figure of cleverness and mischief. Calling a lively child 小猴子 ('little monkey') is affectionate, much as in English. Note that 猴子 covers monkeys specifically; apes like gorillas are 猩猩
Character breakdown
monkey
noun suffix (neutral tone, no independent meaning here)
Memory hook: 猴 has the 犭 (dog/animal) radical on the left — an animal, here the monkey.
Measure word for 猴子
Example sentences
动物园里有很多猴子。
Dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu hěn duō hóuzi.
There are many monkeys in the zoo.
spoken
这只猴子很聪明。
Zhè zhī hóuzi hěn cōngming.
This monkey is very clever.
spoken
我属猴，今年是我的本命年。
Wǒ shǔ hóu, jīnnián shì wǒ de běnmìngnián.
I was born in the year of the Monkey; this year is my zodiac year.
neutral
孩子们像小猴子一样爬上了树。
Háizimen xiàng xiǎo hóuzi yíyàng pá shàng le shù.
The children climbed up the tree like little monkeys.
written
Common phrases with 猴子
Don't confuse 猴子 with
猩猩 is an ape (gorilla / orangutan) — big, tailless. 猴子 is a monkey — smaller, usually with a tail. Don't call a gorilla a 猴子.
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