子女

The Chinese word 子女 (zǐnǚ) for "children" is composed of two characters: 子 (zǐ) and 女 (nǚ). The character 子 originally meant "son" and was used to refer to male children. It is composed of two parts: the radical 宀 (miàn), which represents a roof, and the character 子 (zǐ), which represents a child. This combination suggests that a son is someone who lives under the same roof as his parents. The character 女 (nǚ) originally meant "daughter" and was used to refer to female children. It is composed of the radical 女 (nǚ), which represents a woman, and the character 子 (zǐ), which represents a child. This combination suggests that a daughter is a child who is born to a woman. Over time, the characters 子 (zǐ) and 女 (nǚ) came to be used together to refer to children of both genders. The word 子女 (zǐnǚ) is now the most common way to say "children" in Chinese.