家
jiā
Family, home; measure word for businesses and establishments
家 (jiā), 员 (yuán), 子 (zǐ) — noun suffixes for people
Stem + 家 (jiā) / 员 (yuán) / 子 (zi)
HSK 33.0
Pattern diagram
Noun家员子
Rule structure
家 (jiā) forms names of people by occupation: 画家 (huàjiā), “artist.” 员 (yuán) identifies a person by role or job: 服务员 (fúwùyuán), “waiter.” 子 (zi) is part of many nouns and is usually pronounced with a neutral tone in these words: 孩子 (háizi), “child.” Learn these elements in established words; they cannot be freely added to any base.
Rule structure
家 (jiā) forms names of people by occupation: 画家 (huàjiā), “artist.” 员 (yuán) identifies a person by role or job: 服务员 (fúwùyuán), “waiter.” 子 (zi) is part of many nouns and is usually pronounced with a neutral tone in these words: 孩子 (háizi), “child.” Learn these elements in established words; they cannot be freely added to any base.
Examples
我爸爸是画家，我妈妈是服务员，他们都很喜欢孩子。
Wǒ bàba shì huàjiā, wǒ māma shì fúwùyuán, tāmen dōu hěn xǐhuan háizi.
My dad is a painter, my mom is a waitress, and they both like children very much.
他是运动员。
Tā shì yùndòngyuán.
He is an athlete.
桌子上有三个杯子。
Zhuōzi shang yǒu sān ge bēizi.
There are three cups on the table.
Examples
我爸爸是画家，我妈妈是服务员，他们都很喜欢孩子。
Wǒ bàba shì huàjiā, wǒ māma shì fúwùyuán, tāmen dōu hěn xǐhuan háizi.
My dad is a painter, my mom is a waitress, and they both like children very much.
他是运动员。
Tā shì yùndòngyuán.
He is an athlete.
桌子上有三个杯子。
Zhuōzi shang yǒu sān ge bēizi.
There are three cups on the table.
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Words from this rule
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “noun suffixes for people” in Chinese with 家, 员, 子?
Use the structure: Stem + 家 (jiā) / 员 (yuán) / 子 (zi). For example: 我爸爸是画家，我妈妈是服务员，他们都很喜欢孩子。 — “My dad is a painter, my mom is a waitress, and they both like children very much”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
我爸爸是画家，我妈妈是服务员，他们都很喜欢孩子。 — “My dad is a painter, my mom is a waitress, and they both like children very much”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Level 3.
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More HSK 3.0 Level 3 grammar rules
不是……吗？ — rhetorical questions
不 (bù) 是 (shì)…… 吗 (ma)？
极了 — extremely, very
Adj. + 极了 (jí le)
得很 — very, extremely
Adj. + 得很 (de hěn)
先 — first… then…
先 (xiān)……, 再 (zài)……
一边 — doing two things at once
一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 1, 一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 2
又 — again in the past
又 (yòu) + Verb + 了 (le)
一直 — all along, continuously
Subj. + 一直 (yìzhí) + Verb/Adj.
总是 — always
总是 (zǒngshì) + Predicate