nǚhái
everyday
In pinyin "girl" is nǚhái (女孩). In many regions people also say gūniang (姑娘), and nǚshēng (女生) often means a girl or young woman, especially a female student.
Meaning: girl (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Note |
|---|---|
| nǚhái | everyday |
| gūniang | casual |
| nǚshēng | young woman or female student |
Nǚhái is neutral and describes a child or teenager. Add xiǎo in front as in xiǎo nǚhái to stress a small girl.
Which one should you use?
Gūniang (姑娘) can sound warm and a bit old fashioned. Nǚshēng (女生) is common in school and campus talk.
Did you know?
- For "daughter" Chinese uses nǚ'ér (女儿), not nǚhái.
Examples in context
- Tā shì yí ge xiǎo nǚhái.She is a little girl.
- Nà ge gūniang hěn kě'ài.That girl is very cute.
- Wǒmen bān yǒu shí ge nǚshēng.There are ten girls in our class.
Example conversation
Teacher Zhao talks with a Parent at a school gate in Nanjing.
- ParentZhè shì wǒ de nǚ'ér.This is my daughter.
- ZhaoTā shì ge hěn cōngming de nǚhái.She is a very smart girl.
- ParentXièxie nín.Thank you.
