後綴 / 后缀
hòuzhuì
The English word "suffix" is translated into Chinese as 後綴 / 后缀 (hòuzhuì). Wiktionary also lists 尾綴 / 尾缀 (wěizhuì) and 詞尾 / 词尾 (cíwěi).
Meaning: morpheme added at the end of a word to modify the word's meaning (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 後綴 / 后缀 | hòuzhuì |
| 尾綴 / 尾缀 | wěizhuì |
| 詞尾 / 词尾 | cíwěi |
In a linguistic context, a suffix is a morpheme added to the end of a word to modify its meaning. For example, the suffix -的 (-de) is commonly added to nouns to form possessives, adjectives or attributes and the suffix -们 (-men) is added to pronouns to indicate plurality. The antonym for a suffix is a prefix, which is 前缀 (qiánzhuì).
What does it mean word for word?
The term 后缀 (hòuzhuì) is composed of the character 后 (hòu), meaning 'behind' or 'after' and the character 缀 (zhuì), meaning 'to append' or 'to join'.
Which one should you use?
While 后缀 (hòuzhuì) refers specifically to a linguistic morpheme (a suffix), 詞尾 / 词尾 (cíwěi) is a more general term referring to the end of a word or a word-final element.
How do you pronounce it?
hòuzhuì
Did you know?
- The suffix 的 (de) is so ubiquitous that it is the most frequently used character in the entire Chinese language.
- In Chinese, the word for 'suffix', 后缀 (hòuzhuì), contains the character 后 (hòu), which is also the character used for 'queen' or 'empress'.
- While English suffixes are often attached to roots, the character 缀 (zhuì) in 后缀 evokes the imagery of someone sewing or appending a piece of fabric to a garment.
Examples in context
- 我需要学习汉语的后缀。I need to study Chinese suffixes.
- 这个单词后面的后缀字是什么？What is the suffix of this word?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “suffix” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
