HSK 1 · Common Objects

杯子 bēizi “cup” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 杯子 means

cup
glass

Measure word 个 gè or 只 zhī · 一个杯子 yí ge bēizi

How to say 杯子

杯bēi1st tone, high and level
子zineutral tone, light and short

Grey pinyin is a neutral tone: say it short and light. More on the neutral tone

杯子 in a sentence

这是谁的杯子？
Zhè shì shéi de bēizi?
Whose cup is this?
Sentence #4885037 from Tatoeba
那个杯子是我的。
Nà ge bēizi shì wǒ de.
That cup is mine.
Sentence #11837742 from Tatoeba
她也把杯子打破了。
Tā yě bǎ bēizi dǎpò le.
She broke the cup, too.
Sentence #844240 from Tatoeba

How 杯子 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 杯 (bēi) with each of its parts in a different colour

杯bēicup

木tree · mùMeaning part
不no · bùSound part

木 hints at the meaning (tree); 不 (bù) hints at the sound. Compare it with bēi.

The character 子 (zi) with each of its parts in a different colour

子zinoun suffix, as in 椅子 “chair”

了clear · le
一one · yī

Memory aidA baby with its arms out and its legs wrapped up.

How to write 杯子

杯 8 strokes · 子 3 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

杯子 (bēizi) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them — Stroke order chart for 杯子 (bēizi). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 杯子

FAQs

What does 杯子 mean in English?

杯子 (bēizi) means “cup” or “glass”. It is an HSK 1 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.

How do you pronounce 杯子?

Say it bēizi: bēi with a 1st tone, then zi with a neutral tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.

Is 杯子 the same in Traditional Chinese?

Yes. 杯子 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.

What measure word goes with 杯子?

Use 个 (gè) or 只 (zhī). For example, one cup is 一个杯子 (yí ge bēizi).

How do you type 杯子 on a keyboard?

Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type beizi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 杯子 from the suggestions. Typing beizi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.

What HSK level is 杯子?

杯子 is an HSK 1 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.