Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 男孩 | nánhái | /nän³⁵ xaɪ̯³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nän³⁵ xɑɻ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 男孩兒 / 男孩儿) |
|
| 少年 | shàonián | /ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹ ni̯ɛn³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ʂɔ⁴⁴ niæ̃²⁴/ (Mandarin, Dungan, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 男孩子 | nánháizi | /nän³⁵ xaɪ̯³⁵ d͡z̥ɹ̩³/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /naːm²¹ haːi̯²¹ t͡siː³⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 小伙子 | xiǎohuǒzi | /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴ d͡z̥ɹ̩⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ɕiau⁵³ xo⁵³ t͡sɹ̩⁵³⁻²¹/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 丈夫囡仔 | ta-po͘-gín-á, cha-po͘-gín-á | /ta⁴⁴⁻²² pɔ⁴⁴⁻²² kin⁵³⁻⁴⁴ a⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Philippines, Sinological IPA) /ta³³ pɔ³³ kin⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ a⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Philippines, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
| 查埔𡢃仔 / 查埔㛠仔 | cha-po͘-kán-á | Hokkien |
The terms used for "boy" range from general terms for a male child to more specific terms for adolescents or young men. While 男孩 is a standard way to identify a male child, other forms like 男孩子 are more common in everyday spoken language.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 男孩 is composed of 男, meaning male and 孩, meaning child.
Which one should you use?
男孩 is a general term for a male child, while 少年 refers more specifically to an adolescent or youth. 男孩子 is a more colloquial and common way to refer to a boy in spoken Chinese compared to the slightly more formal 男孩. The term 小伙子 refers to a young man rather than a small child.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
男孩子 is more colloquial and common in spoken Chinese. 小子 is an informal way to say "boy". 小伙子 is a colloquial term used by older people to address or refer to a young man in a friendly or casual way.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, you can use щёхуәзы or щёхуәр and also эрвазы. In Hokkien, forms include 丈夫囡仔 and 查埔𡢃仔 / 查埔㛠仔.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
nánhái (IPA: /nän³⁵ xaɪ̯³⁵/)
Did you know?
- The character for 'male' 男 was originally a pictograph showing a 'field' 田 and 'strength' or 'man' 力, suggesting a boy grows into a man who works the land.
- In some traditional Chinese contexts, the concept of 'boy' is linked to the 'Yang' principle of the Yin-Yang philosophy, associating male children with the sun and activity.
- The character 孩 used in 男孩 contains the 'radical' for 'child' and a phonetic component that historically suggested crying or infancy.
Examples in context
- 男孩到家了。The boy has come home.This sentence shows how to use 男孩 to indicate movement.Tatoeba #7773126 by jiangche, translation #1174861 by CK
- 男孩微微笑。The boy is smiling.This sentence shows how to use 男孩 to describe an action.Tatoeba #13519166 by LeviHighway, translation #13131838 by atitarev
- 这个男孩是谁？Who is this boy?This sentence shows how to use 男孩 in a question.Tatoeba #2004693 by sadhen, translation #1388966 by CK
- 我的朋友有一个男孩。My friend has a boy.
- 她的儿子是个小男孩。Her son is a little boy.
- 我们在公园里看到一个男孩子。We saw a boy in the park.
- 嘿，小子，你要玩吗？Hey, boy, do you want to play?
- 173 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Yuting are looking at a photo of a child.
- 俊杰 Junjie这个男孩很可爱。Zhège nánhái hěn kě'ài.This boy is very cute.
- 雨婷 Yuting他是你的儿子吗？Tā shì nǐ de érzi ma?Is he your son?
- 俊杰 Junjie不，他是我侄子。Bù, tā shì wǒ zhízi.No, he is my nephew.
- 雨婷 Yuting这个男孩真聪明。Zhège nánhái zhēn cōngmíng.This boy is really smart.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boy” translations and entries 男孩, 少年, 男孩子, 小伙子, 丈夫囡仔, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
