How to Say "Stick" in Chinese

棍子

gùnzi

The English word "stick" can be translated into Chinese as 棍子 (gùnzi). Wiktionary also lists 棍 (gùn) and 棒 (bàng).

Meaning: long piece of wood (noun)

Ways to say it

When referring to a long piece of wood as a noun, you can use 棍子, 棍 or 棒.

The word 棍子 (gùnzi) is composed of the root 棍 (gùn), which means stick or rod and the noun-forming suffix 子 (zi).

棍子 (gùnzi) is the standard noun for a stick. In contrast, 棒 (bàng) often implies a thicker, more substantial rod or club.

When counting sticks, the appropriate measure word to use is 根 (gēn), as seen in the phrase 一根棍子 (one stick).

gùnzi

While 棍 refers to a simple stick, the word 棒 is also used as an adjective to describe something as 'excellent' or 'terrific'.
The measure word 根 (gēn) used for counting sticks literally translates to 'root'.
The suffix 子 (zi) in 棍子 (gùnzi) does not mean 'child' or 'son' in this context, but is used to turn a root into a noun.

把一根棍子塞进你的屁股里。
Shove a stick up your ass.
This sentence uses 棍.
Tatoeba #8753766 by slo_oth, translation #462426 by lukaszpp
汤姆用棍子在沙上写了他的名字。
Tom wrote his name in the sand with a stick.
Tatoeba #5933782 by verdastelo9604, translation #4849980 by Hybrid
他用一根棍子把老鼠打死了。
The rat was killed by him with a stick.
Tatoeba #10278302 by DaoSeng, translation #8474949 by ET
他拿着一根棍子走路。
He is walking with a stick.
她因病骨瘦如柴。
She became stick-thin due to illness.
他捡了一根棒子当散步时的拐杖。
He picked up a stick to use as a walking cane during his stroll.
小明跟朋友打闹时，不小心被棍棒打到了。
Xiao Ming accidentally got hit with a stick while playing with his friends.

Two friends are hiking in a park.

雨婷 Yuting

这根棍子太长了。
Zhè gēn gùnzi tài cháng le.
This stick is too long.
伟 Wei

你可以把它折断。
Nǐ kěyǐ bǎ tā zhéduàn.
You can break it.
雨婷 Yuting

伟，你看，这根棍子很结实。
Wěi, nǐ kàn, zhè gēn gùnzi hěn jiēshi.
Wei, look, this stick is very sturdy.
伟 Wei

可以用它走路。
Kěyǐ yòng tā zǒulù.
It can be used to walk.

Sources

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