女孩儿

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 女孩儿 (nǚhái'r) for "girl" is composed of two characters: 女 (nǚ), meaning "woman" or "female", and 孩 (hái), meaning "child". The character 女 is a pictograph depicting a woman with long hair, while the character 孩 is a combination of the characters 子 (zǐ), meaning "child", and 口 (kǒu), meaning "mouth". Together, the two characters 女孩儿 literally mean "female child", or "girl".The word 女孩儿 is first attested in the 13th century, during the Yuan dynasty. It is believed to have originated as a colloquial term, and it was not until the 16th century that it began to be used in formal writing. Today, 女孩儿 is the most common word for "girl" in Mandarin Chinese, and it is used in both formal and informal contexts.The word 女孩儿 can also be used as a term of endearment for a young girl. In this context, it is often preceded by the word 小 (xiǎo), meaning "small", to form the phrase 小女孩儿 (xiǎonǚhái'r), which means "little girl".