The following is a list of 128 most common 儿化音 (erhuayin, erhua) words in Mandarin.
For the uninitiated, erhuayin is when you add 儿 on the end of a word. Simple examples include 好玩儿 (hǎowánr, “fun”) and 画画儿 (huàhuàr, “to paint; to draw”).
Note that I haven’t included incidences where erhuayin is added on the end of names, e.g. 兰儿 Lánr, 辰儿 Chénr, 曼儿 Mànr, 小王儿 Xiǎo Wángr, etc.
If you have any to add, please leave a comment in the comments section at the bottom of this post. Cheers!
- 这儿 zhèr: here (synonym: 这里 zhèlǐ)
- 那儿 nàr: there (synonym: 那里 nàlǐ)
- 哪儿 nǎr: where (synonym: 哪里 nǎlǐ)
- 事儿 shìr: matter; affair 怎么回事儿?: what’s up?; what happened? 没事儿。No problem.
- 出事儿: to have an accident
- 找事儿: 1. to look for trouble 2. to look for sth to do
- 顶事儿: to be of use; useful; helpful
- 共事儿: to work together 他不好共事儿。He’s not easy to get along with.
- 办事儿: to handle affairs; to work
- 字儿 zìr: character (letter/symbol or Chinese character)
- 八字儿还没一撇儿: not even the first stroke of the character ba has been written down; things have not even begun to take shape yet; there is not the slightest sign of success yet
- 把我这X字儿倒过来写: eat one’s hat
- 白纸黑字儿: in black and white
- 词儿 cír: word
- 没词儿: to be at loss for words
- 画儿 huàr: painting; drawing 一张画儿: a painting
- 画画儿: to paint; to draw
- 门儿 ménr: door
- 开门儿: open the door; (of a business) open
- 关门儿: close the door; closed
- 出门儿: 1. to be away from home 2. to go on a journey 2. to exit; to leave
- 走后们儿: use backdoor connections
- 抠门儿: stingy
- 串门儿: to drop in on sb; to pay a visit to sb
- 有门儿: likely to be realised; hopeful
- 没门儿: unlikely to be realised; no way
- 邪门儿: strange; weird
- 上门儿: 1. to drop in for a visit 2. to meet with one’s future wife’s parents
- 窍门儿 qiàoménr: trick; key (to a problem); knack
- 活儿 huór: work; job
- 干活儿: to work
- 花儿 huār: flower
- 浪花儿: spray from waves; splash
- 边儿 biānr: side
- 这边儿: here; over here
- 那边儿: there; over there
- 路边儿: the side of the road; roadside
- 今儿 jīnr: today [colloquial] (synonym: 今天 jīntiān)
- 明儿 míngr: tomorrow [colloquial] (synonym: 明天 míngtiān)
- 昨儿 zuór: yesterday [colloquial] (synonym: 昨天 zuótiān)
- 绳儿 shéngr: rope
- 跳绳儿: to skip rope
- 皮儿 pír: skin
- 拉皮儿: 1. pasta in sheet form 2. to have a face-lift
- 单眼皮儿: single eyelids
- 饺子皮儿: dumpling skin
- 头儿 tóur: 1. head 2. leader; boss; supervisor
- 老头儿: old man
- 顶头儿: leader 顶头儿上司 superior; supervisor
- 尽头儿: end (of a place/location)
- 打头儿: 1. leader 2. first 我先打头儿去了。I’m off now.
- 会儿 huìr (or: huǐr): moment [colloquial] 等一会儿。Wait a sec.
- 这会: right now 我刚才给他打电话,她这会儿不在家。I just called her, and she’s not at home right now.
- 空儿 kòngr: free time; spare time 你什么时候有空儿? When are you free?
- 抽空儿: find time
- 片儿 piānr (or: piànr): 1. sheet 2. disk 3. movie
- 照片儿: picture
- 唱片儿: 1. disc 2. record; album
- 块儿 kuàir: piece; chunk
- 冰块儿: ice cube
- 一块儿: together (synonym: 一起 yīqǐ)
- 方块儿: square
- 玩儿 wánr: to play
- 好玩儿: fun
- 贪玩儿: to love fun and games
- 托儿 tuōr: shill; plant (a person employed to act as a customer that competes for goods with others in order to attract more customers) 这家饭店刚开了,他们花钱雇了几个托儿。The restaurant has just opened and they’ve paid for some people to come and pretend to be their customers.
- 壳儿 kér: shell
- 硬壳儿: shell
- 歌儿 gēr: song 这首歌儿很好听。This song is great.
- 唱歌儿: to sing
- 碗儿 wǎnr: bowl
- 瓶儿 píngr: bottle
- 花瓶儿 huāpíngr: 1. vase. 2. just a pretty face
- 板儿 bǎnr: board; plank
- 快板儿: kuaiban; clappertalk
- 木板儿: plank; board
- 板儿砖: brick
- 兜儿 dōur: 1. pocket 2. small bag
- 本儿 běnr: 1. capital (wealth) 2. book
- 亏本儿: to lose money when doing business
- 保本儿: to break even
- 笔记本儿: notebook
- 书本儿: books
- 盖儿 gàir: lid; cap; cover
- 锅盖儿: pot cover
- 瓶盖儿: bottle cap
- 套儿 tàor: 1. cap; cover 2. condom
- 外套儿: coat; jacket
- 枣儿 zǎor: jujube; Chinese date
- 信儿 xìnr: 1. information 2. news
- 管儿 guǎnr: tube
- 吸管儿: straw (for drinking)
- 抽水管儿: drain pipe
- 班儿 bānr: work shift
- 上班儿: start work
- 下班儿: get off work
- 顶班儿: 1. work regular shifts 2. take on sb’s shift
- 跟班儿: someone who always follow a certain person 两岁的孩子成了我的小跟班儿。The two year-old kid started to tag along with me.
- 主儿 zhǔr: 1. master 2. employer 3. husband; fiancé; boyfriend; partner 4. owner
- 伴儿 bànr: partner; companion 人生是孤独的,我们需要找个伴儿。Life can be lonely, we all need to find a partner.
- 同伴儿: companion
- 搭伴儿: to travel together; to keep each other company
- 味儿 wèir: 1. taste 2. flavour 地道的中国味儿: authentically Chinese
- 口味儿: 1. personal taste 2. flavour
- 滋味儿: 1. taste; flavour 2. the way one feels
- 没味儿: boring
- 变味儿: go bad (of food); taste unpleasant
- 眼儿 yǎnr: 1. eye 2. tiny hole; orifice
- 心眼儿: 1. heart; mind 2. experience; knowledge 3. intentions
- 屁眼儿: anus 我咒你生孩子没屁眼儿。Literally, “May your child be born with an imperforate anus” (strong cursing expression)
- 鸡眼儿: bunion; corn
- 肚脐眼儿: belly button
- 嗓子眼儿: throat 我心都提到嗓子眼儿了。My heart was racing.
- 白眼儿: 1. to look down upon 2. to disapprove
- 起眼儿: 1. attractive 2. outstanding; striking
- 点儿 diǎnr: spot; point
- 一点儿: a little bit
- 有点儿: a little bit
- 差点儿: 1. almost 2. not quite good enough
- 快点儿: hurry up!
- 给[某人]点儿颜色看看: to teach sb a lesson
- 末儿 mòr: powder
- 粉末儿
- 沫儿 mòr: foam
- 泡沫儿
- 盆儿 pénr: basin; tube
- 口儿 kǒur: 1. cut; split 2. wound
- 路口儿: intersection; crossroad (synonym: 十字路口 shízì lùkǒu)
- 小两口儿: young couple
- 卷儿 juǎnr: roll
- 烟卷儿: cigarette (synonym: 香烟 xiāngyān)
- 圈儿 quānr: 1. circle 2. (juànr) enclosure; pen
- 圆圈儿(quānr): circle; ring 这个复杂的几何图案实际上就是圆圈儿和方块儿的组合。This complicated geometrical pattern is actually made up of circles and squares.
- 猪圈儿(juànr): pigsty
- 冻儿 dòngr: jelly
- 馅儿 xiànr: stuffing; filling (of food)
- 露馅儿: to give the game away; to let the cat out of the bag
- 丝儿 sīr: shredded strands
- 铁丝儿: iron wire
- 萝卜丝儿: shredded turnip
- 土豆丝儿: shredded potato
- 头发丝儿: strands of hair
- 份儿 fènr: share; portion; bit
- 独一份儿: something unique 放心吧,咱们这个店虽然小点儿,货色在这北京城里可是独一份儿。Don’t worry. Although our restaurant is a bit small, what we sell is unique in Beijing.
- 样儿 yàngr: appearance; model 看你小样儿!well, look at you! (said to draw attention to sb’s behaviour or facial expression)
- 几样儿: 1. several kinds/sorts 2. how many kinds/sorts?
- 像样儿: presentable
- 好样儿的: well done
- 这么样儿: so; such; like this; this way
- 那么样儿: in that case
- 筐儿 kuāngr: 1. basket 2. chest
- 竹筐儿: bamboo basket/chest
- 对儿 duìr: 1. couple; pair 2. couplet
- 一对儿: 1. couple 2. pair
- 成双成对儿: form a pair
- 对儿: Chinese couplet
- 摊儿 tānr: stall
- 地摊儿: stall
- 摆摊儿: to set up a stall
- 干儿 gānr: dried food
- 豆腐干儿: dried tofu
- 肝儿 gānr: liver
- 心肝儿: darling
- 范儿 fànr: style [colloquial] (synonym: 风格 fēnggé)
- 气儿 qìr: 1. air 2. energy 3. atmosphere 4. breath 5. anger
- 面儿 miànr: 1. occasion 2. powder
- 场面儿: spectacle; scene; occasion
- 白面儿: heroin
- 表面儿: surface
- 封面 儿: 1. title page of a thread-bound book 2. front and back cover of a book 3. front cover
- 劲儿 jìnr: 1. strength 2. energy 3. enthusiasm
- 用劲儿: exert oneself; put one’s back into it
- 后劲儿: delayed effect; aftereffect
- 差劲儿: no good; crap; disappointing; poor
- 没劲儿: exhausted
- 带劲儿: energetic; interesting; awesome 这个摇滚歌手的演出很带劲儿。The rock singer’s performance was amazing.
- 对劲儿: to look right 你看起来不对劲儿。You don’t look right.
- 得劲儿: comfortable; easy to use; handy
- 使劲儿: to exert all one’s strength
- 费劲儿: to need great effort
- 过劲儿: to go to extremes; excessive 我饿过劲儿了。 I’m so hungry that I’m not hungry anymore.
- 一个劲儿: continuously; persistently
- 妞儿 niūr: girl
- 小妞儿: young girl
- 泡妞儿: to chase girls
- 倍儿 bèir: extremely
- 身体倍儿棒: great body
- 倍儿漂亮: very pretty
- 签儿 qiānr: 1. slip of paper 2. label
- 书签儿: bookmark
- 抽签儿: to cast a ballot; to run draw
- 印儿 yìnr: 1. stamp 2. seal. 3. mark; imprint
- 手印儿: 1. handprint 2. fingerprint
- 脚印儿: footprint
- 馆儿 guǎnr: building
- 饭馆儿: restaurant
- 博物馆儿: museum
- 茶馆儿: teahouse
- 刺儿 cìr: thorn
- 刺儿头: one who is hard to get along with; a difficult person to deal with
- 找刺儿 to look for faults (synonym: 挑刺儿 tiāocìr)
- 棍儿 gùnr: 1. rod; stick 2. penis [slang]
- 光棍儿: bachelor; single man
- 冰棍儿: popsicle
- 打光棍儿: to live a single life; to live alone
- 神儿 shénr: 1. look; expression 2. air
- 走神儿 : to lose one’s concentration; to zone out
- 眼神儿: the look on sb’s face; expression in sb’s eyes
- 跳大神儿: to practice witchcraft
- 角儿 juér: 1. theatrical role; part 2. [jiǎor] corner
- 主角儿[juér]: main role; leading role; protagonist
- 丑角儿[juér]: clown; buffoon
- 嘴角儿[jiǎor]: corners of the mouth
- 窝儿 wōr: depression; hollow
- 酒窝儿: dimple
- 眼窝儿: eye socket
- 底儿 dǐr: 1. foundation; basis; groundwork 2. shoe sole 3. sb’s past; sb’s unsavoury background
- 锅底儿: bottom of a pan/pot 你看,锅底儿有个脏东西。Have a look, there’s still some stuff left on the bottom of the pan.
- 心里有底儿: sure; confident
- 心里没底儿: unsure; unconfident
- 仁儿 rénr: kernel
- 杏仁儿: almond
- 虾仁儿: shelled fresh shrimp; shrimp meat
- 腕儿 wànr: celebrity; famous person; expert
- 手腕儿: wrist
- 大腕儿: big shot; celebrity 这个著名的电影明星是个大腕儿,他每次公开露面,狗仔队都试图拍摄他。 This famous movie star is a big shot – every time he goes out in public the paparazzi try to take photos of him.
- 款儿 kuǎnr: 1. signature plus added comment (on scroll/etc.) 2. signature/inscription on a scroll/bronze/stone 3. item (of a list of statements) 4. well-made; satisfactory
- 傍大款儿: to date a rich guy; to be a gold-digger
- 燕儿 yānr: swallow (species of bird)
- 孩儿 háir: child
- 小孩儿: kid; child
- 男孩儿: boy
- 女孩儿: girl
- 帮儿 bāngr: gang
- 碗儿 wǎnr: bowl
- 牌儿 páir: 1. card; tag; label 2. brand
- 大牌儿: big-shot celebrity
- 名牌儿: 1. famous brand 2. nameplate; name tag
- 耍大牌儿: act like a big-shot celebrity
- 筋 jīnr: 1. tendon; sinew
- 抽筋儿: to get a cramp
- 橡皮筋儿: rubber band
- 哥们儿 gēmenr: 1. buddy; mate; pal; good friend [for men] (synonym: 爷们儿 yémenr) 2. real man (synonym: 好汉 hǎohàn)
- 爷们儿 yémenr: buddy; mate; pal; good friend [for men] (synonym: 爷们儿 gēmenr)
- 公园儿 gōngyuánr: park
- 背心儿 bèixīnr: sleeveless garment; vest; singlet
- 媳妇儿 xífur: wife [colloquial] (synonym: 老婆 lǎopo)
- 玩意儿 wányìr: thing 那是什么玩意儿?: what is that thing?
- 手把儿 shǒubǎr: handle (synonym: 把儿 bǎr)
- 带把儿的: baby boy
- 宝贝儿 bǎobèir: 1. baby 2. darling
- 小曲儿 xiǎoqǔr: short song; ditty
- 小调儿 xiǎodiàor: tune
- 手绢儿 shǒujuànr: handkerchief (synonym: 手帕 shǒupà)
- 伊妹儿 yīmèir: email (phonetic borrowing from English “email”)
- 自个儿 zìgěr: oneself [colloquial] (synonym: 自己 zìjǐ)
- 拉链儿 lāliànr: zipper
- 皱纹儿 zhòuwénr: wrinkles
- 钱包儿 qiánbāor: wallet; purse [colloquial]
- 门槛儿 ménkǎnr: 1. doorstep 2. threshold
- 纽扣儿 niǔkòur: button
- 传单儿 chuándānr: leaflet
- 一半儿 yībànr: half
- 一半儿一半儿的: half-half
- 混混儿 hùnhùnr: 1. loafer; bum 2. rascal; scoundrel 3. to loaf about; to drift through life
- 毛驴儿 máolǘr: donkey [colloquial] (synonym: 驴子 lǘzi)
- 同辈儿 tóngbèir: a person of the same generation
- 小盒儿 xiǎohér: small box / case
- 灯泡儿 dēngpàor:1. light bulb 2. fifth wheel
- 土豆儿 tǔdòur: potato
- 模特儿 mótèr: (fashion) model
- 模型儿 móxíngr: 1. model 2. pattern
- 小菜儿 xiǎocàir: cold dish
- 公子哥儿 gōngzǐgēr: 1. pampered son of a wealthy/influential family 2. playboy
- 大年三十儿 dànián sānshír: New Year’s Eve
- 白大褂儿 bái dàguàr: 1. white gown; doctor’s coat 2. doctor
- 开春儿 kāichūnr: the coming of spring; beginning of spring
- 打岔儿 dǎchàr: to interrupt; to cut in
- 打饱嗝儿 dǎbǎogér: to belch (after eating)
- 打盹儿 dǎdǔnr: to doze off
- 出格儿 chūgér: 1. to misbehave 2. to be out of the ordinary (synonym: 出圈儿 chūquānr)
- 嗝儿屁 gěrpì: to die
- 盖帽儿 gàimàor: 1. to deflect a ball; a blocking shot 2. awesome
- 有趣儿 yǒuqùr: interesting
- 没准儿 méizhǔnr: not definite
- 合群儿 héqúnr: get along well with others 咱们明天的爬山活动别叫他,他根本不合群儿。Let’s not ask him to go out with us tomorrow to go hiking, he’s totally unsociable.
- 好好儿 hǎohāor: do sth well; carefully; earnestly
- 压根儿 yàgēnr: totally; completely; simply [colloquial] (synonym: 根本 gēnběn)
- 大伙儿 dàhuǒr: everyone
- 八成儿 bāchéngr: 1. eighty percent 2. most likely; probably
- 慢慢儿 mànmànr: slowly 慢慢儿来 take your time
No wonder I don’t sound like a native Mandarin speaker.
Thank you for this very useful piece.
A small suggestion. I think in
63 a “身材” 比 "身体"更合适.
Nice list. Since you’ve gone this far, it might be worth going through some of the non-obvious pronunciations, e.g. rules-based but non-obvious to the uninitiated such as 一块儿 pronounced roughly yíkuàr or 宝贝儿 as bǎobèr, then idiosyncratic ones such as 伊妹儿 which I’d say is pronounced more like yīmèi’er. Although having said that, I’m wondering if Pinyin breaks down and you’d have to resort to IPA…
BTW, you might consider adding some “subscribe to comments” plug-in for those of us absent-minded enough to be unable to remember to come back here to look for followup comments. 😀
IPA would be close to useless since few people beyond educated linguists know how to read it. It would be better to provide audio files, but I couldn’t really be bothered. Unless some enthusiastic reader would be willing to put in that work…
I’ve installed the plugin Subscribe to Comments. Let me know if it works for you.
Hello,
Thanks for the great list! Just wanted to let you know that there was one word where my dictionary had a different pronunciation than the one listed: 嗝儿屁 gěrpì: to die. My dictionary has “ge2” for the first character instead of “ge3”. Not sure if this is the same for this expression or not though.
Keep up the good work!
As usual a useful list. For well over half the words I normally use 儿化, which is the most natural pronunciation in Beijing (e.g., 来劲儿, 开门儿, 上班儿, etc), although there were some I don’t use (钱包儿) and a number that I’m barely familiar with, if at all.
I’ve read somewhere that 今儿, 明儿 etc. are actually from 今日, 明日, etc. and are not really 儿化.
圈儿 also refers to the (social) circles one moves in.
I know this is kind of an old post, but if I may ask, what word frequency lists are you basing this on? I would like to know because the word frequency lists that I know of focus on written language and so do not have erhua words.
I just collected the ones that are common; it is not based on any frequency list.
I notice that none of the words on your list start with a vowel. Are there any erhua words that don’t have an initial consonant?