“Baby” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Baby
“Baby” in Chinese is most often 宝宝, bǎobao — roughly “bow-bow”, the first syllable dipping low, the second light. It is the warm, everyday word: parents call their baby 宝宝, and so do couples, the way English speakers say “baby” or “babe”. For a newborn in the neutral, medical sense Chinese uses another word, 婴儿.
Three words for “baby”
- 宝宝bǎobaobaby, little one; also “babe” between partners
- 宝贝bǎobèitreasure; baby, darling
- 婴儿yīng’érbaby, infant (neutral, as in a hospital or a shop)
宝 means “treasure”, so 宝贝 is literally “a treasure”: it is what a mother calls her child and what partners call each other, like “sweetheart”. 宝宝 doubles the syllable, the way baby words do in many languages. 婴儿 is the word you see on a baby formula label or a hospital sign. The ér in 婴儿 is the same r-colored “er” as in 儿子 “son”: say “er” with the tip of your tongue curled back.
- 宝贝，该睡觉了。bǎobèi,gāishuìjiàolebaby, it’s time for bed
- 婴儿一哭，妈妈就醒了。yīng’éryìkū,māmajiùxǐngleas soon as the baby cries, mom wakes up
- 孩子出生三个月了。háizichūshēngsāngeyuèlethe baby is three months old
- 多么可爱的孩子啊！duōmekě’àideháiziawhat a cute child!
Child, son, daughter
- 孩子háizichild; someone’s kid
- 儿子érzison
- 女儿nǚ’érdaughter
- 可爱kě’àicute
Once a baby grows up a little, people say 孩子, “child”. “To have a baby” is 生孩子 shēng háizi, literally “to give birth to a child”, and “she had a baby girl” is 她生了一个女儿. More family words, from mom to great-grandma, are in “Family members in Chinese”.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “baby” in Chinese?
“Baby” in Chinese is 宝宝, in pinyin bǎobao.
How do you pronounce 宝宝?
宝宝 is read bǎobao. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “baby” in Chinese characters?
宝宝 is 2 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 宝宝 mean?
宝宝 (bǎobao) means “baby”.
Family words with audio
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