子
Meanings · zi2
- (noun) 1. son; 2. offspring; (adjective) 1. subsidiary; (noun) one of the Earthly Branches
Meanings · ci4
- affection and integrity
Meanings · zi2
- (noun suffix)
- son
- child
- offspring
- person
- seed
- eggs of animals
- the first character in the duodecimal cycle
- title of respect for men of distinction
- pupil
- disciple
- one's spouse
- rank of nobility equivalent to a viscount
- subsidiary
- subordinate
- numerator
- anything small
- young
About these definitions
Source definition segments, in their original order. Characters a definition cites are shown without their Mandarin pinyin; classifier lists that CC-Canto copied from CC-CEDICT are marked Mandarin. The community dictionary is not independently verified by zimai.
Reading & tones
Schematic citation-tone diagrams from the source numbers. These are not recordings or predictions of connected speech.
Same syllable, six tones
Characters whose customary Unihan reading (kCantonese) is this syllable in each tone, chosen as in the tone atlas (2013 standard level, then the number of CC-CEDICT words they form), with CC-Canto 2017's meaning for that reading; a dash means no catalogue character has that reading. Checked syllables (-p, -t, -k) normally carry tones 1, 3 and 6. Character readings, not word readings; no frequency implied.
Written characters
Both source spellings are represented. Written membership is not an etymological or semantic claim.
Mandarin comparison · separate source entries
CC-CEDICT, the Mandarin–English dictionary, lists the same written form:
- 子 zǐ CC-CEDICT · Mandarinson; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位 wǔ děng jué wèi; ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north); …
- 子 zi CC-CEDICT · Mandarinnoun suffix, as in 椅子 yǐ zi "chair"
A separate source entry, shown for comparison. The same characters can carry different senses in Mandarin and in Cantonese; zimai does not align these senses.
CC-Canto includes this pinyin reference: zi5. It does not establish a Mandarin word with the same meaning.
Look up this spelling in the Mandarin dictionary ↗Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 23 senses · 2 Cantonese readings
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ci4 · zi2
Cantonese word readings for 子. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- child; offspring; descendant
- son
- (Christianity) the Son
- (suffix) person
- (literary, respectful) master; teacher; if just one 子 is shown in Classical Chinese, it should mean Confucius.
- (archaic) A respectful title for teachers, usually attached after their surnames.
- (archaic, literary, polite) you
- (alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 籽 (zǐ, “seed”); also its second-round simplified form.
- egg
- young; tender; small
- (figurative) Prefix attached to nouns, denoting "a part of", "belonging to" or "individual"; sub-.
- (astrology) First earthly branch: rat in the Chinese zodiac, 11th solar month, midnight (11:00 pm to 1:00 am)
- (historical) viscount (fourth of five ranks of Chinese aristocracy under the Zhou dynasty)
- (physics, biology) -on
- a surname
- (Southern Min) grain-like object; particle; granule
- (Southern Min, music) rhythm
- (Southern Min) Classifier for small, round objects: granule, grain, particle, piece
character · Etymology 1
- Suffix: — Used to nominalize.
- Suffix: — (colloquial) Used in some classifiers.
character · Etymology 1
- (Hokkien) small, round object
- (Xiamen and Quanzhou Hokkien) Classifier for small objects.
- (Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) Classifier for bananas.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack