box; case
HSK level
盒子 is written with 14 strokes (盒: 11, 子: 3). The animation replays automatically.
盒子 (hézi) is a noun meaning a small-to-medium box or case — typically a rigid container with a lid, used to hold small objects.
Think of a gift box, a jewelry box, a lunch box, a pencil case, or a takeout container. The 子 is an unstressed noun suffix (neutral tone) with no meaning of its own; the root character 盒 already means 'box.' Unlike the English 'box,' which covers everything from a tiny ring box to a large shipping carton, 盒子 leans small and often implies a nicer, lidded container.
For a large cardboard shipping box, Chinese speakers say 箱子 (xiāngzi) instead. So the 盒子 / 箱子 split maps roughly to 'box (small, lidded)' vs 'carton/trunk (large).'
Character by character
Memory hook: 盒 has 皿 (a vessel/dish radical) at the bottom — a lidded vessel, a box.
这个盒子里有什么？
Zhège hézi lǐ yǒu shénme?
What's in this box?
spoken
她把戒指放进了一个小盒子。
Tā bǎ jièzhi fàngjìn le yí ge xiǎo hézi.
She put the ring into a small box.
neutral
请帮我打开这个盒子。
Qǐng bāng wǒ dǎkāi zhège hézi.
Please help me open this box.
spoken
礼物盒子上系着一条红丝带。
Lǐwù hézi shàng jì zhe yì tiáo hóng sīdài.
A red ribbon is tied on the gift box.
written
箱子 is a larger box, carton, trunk, or suitcase. Use 盒子 for small lidded boxes (jewelry, gifts, lunch) and 箱子 for shipping cartons, luggage, and big storage containers.
Both are containers, but 盒子 is small (holds a phone or a ring) and 箱子 is large (holds clothes, or is a suitcase). Size is the deciding factor.
瓶子 is a bottle (for liquids). 盒子 is a box (for solid objects). Both take the 子 suffix, which can blur them for beginners.
Acquire it by listening
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