男孩儿

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 男孩儿 (nánháir) for "boy" is composed of two characters: 男 (nán), meaning "male", and 子 (zǐ), meaning "child". The character 男 is a pictograph depicting a man standing with his arms outstretched, while the character 子 is a pictograph depicting a child. The combination of these two characters creates the word 男孩儿, which literally means "male child". This word is commonly used in Mandarin Chinese to refer to a young male child, typically between the ages of birth and adolescence. It is also sometimes used to refer to a young man in a more general sense.