儿 ér — son · English

儿

ér

son

At a glance · 儿

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「儿」繁体「兒」从儿从臼，象小儿囟门未合，小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「儿」本义为幼儿、孩子，亦指儿子。

Structure

象形字，從兒，象小儿头囟未合，本为孩童。简作儿。

At a glance

Pinyinér

Radical儿

Strokes2

UnicodeU+513F

Character type象形

Theme人伦

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English son son, child; Kangxi radical 10

Français enfant / fils Enfant, fils. «犹子比儿» : le garçon, le fils.

Español niño / hijo Niño, hijo. «犹子比儿»: el muchacho, el hijo.

العربية طفل / ابن طفل، ابن. «犹子比儿»: الغلام، الابن.

Русский ребёнок / сын Ребёнок, сын. «犹子比儿»: мальчик, сын.

Common words

儿子ér zison
儿童ér tóngchild

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