Difference between revisions of "Erhua"
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== Common Examples of Erhua == | == Common Examples of Erhua == | ||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | * 花<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">huā<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">flower</span> | ||
| + | * 小鸟<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">xiǎoniǎo<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">little bird</span> | ||
| + | * 小孩<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">xiǎohái<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">child</span> | ||
| + | * 好玩<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">hǎowán<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">interesting;fun</span> | ||
| + | * 羊肉串<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">yángròuchuàn<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">mutton skewers</span> | ||
| + | * 生鱼片<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">shēngyú piān<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">sashimi</span> | ||
| + | * 没事<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">méishì<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">That's ok.</span> | ||
| + | * 土豆<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">tǔdòu<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">potato</span> | ||
| + | * 小偷<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">xiǎotōu<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">thief</span> | ||
| + | * 一半<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">yībàn<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">half</span> | ||
| + | * 有点<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">yǒudiǎn<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">a little bit [as a adv]</span> | ||
| + | * 一点<em>(儿)</em><span class="pinyin">yīdiǎn<em>r</em></span> <span class="trans">a little[as quantifier]</span> | ||
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== Sources and further reading == | == Sources and further reading == | ||
Revision as of 02:55, 27 March 2015
- Also known as: erization, 儿化 (érhuà) and 儿化音 (érhuàyīn).
-
Level
"Erhua" refers to the addition of a final "-r" sound to a syllable in Mandarin. It is especially common in the Beijing dialect, but is also a feature of standard Chinese as well.
Contents
A Few Rules about Erhua
Erhua can be confusing to beginners because it's slightly more complicated than simply adding an "-r" sound to the end of a syllable.
- The character 儿 (ér) can be a syllable, as in the two-syllable word 儿子 (érzi), but erhua is not a syllable; it is pronounced as part of the syllable that it comes after
- When you add erhua to the end of a syllable ending in -n or -ng, you don't pronounce the -n or -ng (even though you still write it); you pronounce the final -r sound instead
- The vowel sound of a syllable may change slightly with the addition of the erhua (e.g. "shi + -r" may sound kind of like "shar")
- Erhua can be written as 儿, but it doesn't need to be written to be pronounced (e.g. a southerner will generally pronounce 花 as "huā", but a Beijinger will pronounce it as "huār")
Common Examples of Erhua
- 花儿 flower
- 小鸟儿 little bird
- 这儿 here
- 那儿 there
- 哪儿 where
- 玩儿 to play; for fun
- 盖儿 a cover of a container
- 小孩儿 child
- 好玩儿 interesting;fun
- 羊肉串儿 mutton skewers
- 生鱼片儿 sashimi
- 没事儿 That's ok.
- 土豆儿 potato
- 馅儿 stuffing
- 小偷儿 thief
- 一半儿 half
- 有点儿 a little bit [as a adv]
- 一点儿 a little[as quantifier]
- 一会儿 a while; after a while
Writing Erhua
For a few select words, it is customary to write out the erhua using the character 儿:
哪儿
Optional Erhua
For many other words, writing the 儿 is optional. Northerners will likely pronounce the following words, no matter whether it is written with or without the 儿.
Common Examples of Erhua
- 花(儿) flower
- 小鸟(儿) little bird
- 小孩(儿) child
- 好玩(儿) interesting;fun
- 羊肉串(儿) mutton skewers
- 生鱼片(儿) sashimi
- 没事(儿) That's ok.
- 土豆(儿) potato
- 小偷(儿) thief
- 一半(儿) half
- 有点(儿) a little bit [as a adv]
- 一点(儿) a little[as quantifier]
Sources and further reading
- MIT.edu: Erhua Recordings (MP3)
- Wikipedia: Erhua
- Wikipedia: 儿化音
