Kilo Lingo

(kù zǐ) - trousers, pants in Mandarin

Traditional: 褲子

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Translation

trousers, pants

Word origin

A compound of 裤 (kù, trousers, written with the clothing radical 衤beside the phonetic 库) and the noun suffix 子 (zi).

Origin
compound
Root
裤 (kù, trousers) + 子 (zi, noun suffix)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 裤

Stroke order for 子

Examples

These trousers are too long.

I want to buy a new pair of trousers.

There is a hole in his trousers.

These trousers are comfortable on me.

Give the trousers a wash.

裤子 is trousers, and unlike English it is grammatically singular. There is no plural-only quirk to worry about: one garment is 一条裤子, two are 两条裤子.

The measure word is 条, the same one used for long thin things such as roads, rivers and fish. Say 一个裤子 and you will be understood but marked as a beginner. 条 also covers 裙子 (skirt), so learning the pair together pays.

The suffix 子 is normally pronounced light and short, kù zi, and the tone mark in the dictionary form here is a formality rather than something you sound out. Useful compounds: 短裤 (shorts), 牛仔裤 (jeans), 内裤 (underpants).

Where this fits

Used in

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Mandarin · Free printables

裤子: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "裤子" (trousers, pants): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 42.