Chinese Affixes: Learn to Understand New Words Faster
In this lesson, you will learn what affixes are, how common Chinese prefixes and suffixes work, what quasi-affixes are, and how to decide whether an element is really an affix.
1 What Is an Affix?
An affix is a word-building element attached before or after a root. When used as an affix, it usually does not keep a full concrete meaning by itself. Instead, it helps show a category, identity, quality, state, or grammar function.
Affix + Root → New Word
Fixed position
Some affixes appear before the root, while others appear after the root.
老- before the root
第- before the root
-子 after the root
-性 after the root
Weakened meaning
An affix often loses its original concrete meaning.
石头 Here 头 does not mean “head”.
花儿 Here 儿 does not mean “child”.
老虎 Here 老 does not mean “old”.
2 Common Prefixes
Prefixes appear before the root. Chinese does not have many typical prefixes, but some are very common and useful.
Prefix老-lǎo
Used in names, titles, ranking, and some animal names.
老师 lǎoshī — teacher
老张 Lǎo Zhāng — Old Zhang / Zhang (friendly address)
老大 lǎodà — eldest / boss
老虎 lǎohǔ — tiger
Prefix小-xiǎo
Used in nicknames, friendly address, or to show smallness.
小王 Xiǎo Wáng — Little Wang / Wang (friendly address)
小狗 xiǎogǒu — puppy / little dog
小孩 xiǎohái — child
小李 Xiǎo Lǐ — Little Li / Li (friendly address)
Prefix阿-ā
Used in affectionate address, especially in names, kinship terms, and some dialects.
阿姨 āyí — auntie
阿爸 ābà — dad / father
阿明 Ā Míng — Ah Ming
阿妹 āmèi — younger sister / girl
Prefix第-dì
Used to form ordinal numbers.
第一 dì-yī — first
第二 dì-èr — second
第三 dì-sān — third
第十 dì-shí — tenth
Prefix初-chū
Used for beginning stages or lunar calendar dates.
初一 chūyī — the first day of the lunar month
初十 chūshí — the tenth day of the lunar month
初级 chūjí — beginner level / elementary level
初学 chūxué — beginner / beginning to learn
3 Common Suffixes
Suffixes appear after the root. Chinese has many common suffixes, especially noun suffixes and formal written suffixes.
Suffix-子zi
A common noun marker. It often has no concrete meaning by itself.
桌子 zhuōzi — table
椅子 yǐzi — chair
本子 běnzi — notebook
胖子 pàngzi — fat person
Suffix-儿r / er
A noun marker, diminutive marker, or spoken-style marker, especially in northern Chinese.
花儿 huār — flower
画儿 huàr — drawing / picture
味儿 wèir — smell / taste
小孩儿 xiǎoháir — child
Suffix-头tou
A noun marker used for objects or abstract ideas.
石头 shítou — stone
骨头 gǔtou — bone
念头 niàntou — thought / idea
甜头 tiántou — benefit / sweetness / advantage
Suffix-者zhě
Used for a person who does something.
作者 zuòzhě — author
读者 dúzhě — reader
记者 jìzhě — reporter / journalist
患者 huànzhě — patient
Suffix-员yuán
Used for members, staff, or occupations.
演员 yǎnyuán — actor / actress
会员 huìyuán — member
党员 dǎngyuán — party member
船员 chuányuán — crew member / sailor
Suffix-家jiā
Used for a specialist or expert in a field.
作家 zuòjiā — writer / author
画家 huàjiā — painter
科学家 kēxuéjiā — scientist
音乐家 yīnyuèjiā — musician
Suffix-性xìng
Used to express a quality, nature, or characteristic.
重要性 zhòngyàoxìng — importance
创造性 chuàngzàoxìng — creativity
普遍性 pǔbiànxìng — universality
可能性 kěnéngxìng — possibility
Suffix-化huà
Used to mean “become” or “transform into”.
现代化 xiàndàihuà — modernization
美化 měihuà — beautify / beautification
全球化 quánqiúhuà — globalization
工业化 gōngyèhuà — industrialization
Suffix-度dù
Used to express degree, measurement, or extent.
高度 gāodù — height
长度 chángdù — length
深度 shēndù — depth
知名度 zhīmíngdù — popularity / fame level
4 Quasi-Affixes
Some elements still keep a clear meaning, but they are very productive and appear in a fixed position. These are often called quasi-affixes.
Quasi-prefixes
非- fēi
Means “non-” or “not”.
非正式 fēizhèngshì — informal
非会员 fēihuìyuán — non-member
非主流 fēizhǔliú — non-mainstream
半- bàn
Means “half” or “semi-”.
半自动 bànzìdòng — semi-automatic
半透明 bàntòumíng — semi-transparent
半成品 bànchéngpǐn — semi-finished product
超- chāo
Means “super-” or “beyond”.
超级 chāojí — super
超自然 chāozìrán — supernatural
超负荷 chāofùhè — overloaded
多- duō
Means “multi-” or “many”.
多功能 duōgōngnéng — multifunctional
多层次 duōcéngcì — multi-level
多角度 duōjiǎodù — from many angles
反- fǎn
Means “anti-” or “opposite”.
反常 fǎncháng — abnormal
反社会 fǎnshèhuì — anti-social
反攻 fǎngōng — counterattack
可- kě
Means “worthy of” or “can be”.
可爱 kě’ài — lovely
可怕 kěpà — frightening
可敬 kějìng — respectable
Quasi-suffixes
-界 jiè
Means “field” or “circle”.
学术界 xuéshùjiè — academic world
教育界 jiàoyùjiè — education field
商界 shāngjiè — business world
-型 xíng
Means “type” or “model”.
经济型 jīngjìxíng — economical type
开放型 kāifàngxíng — open type
学习型 xuéxíxíng — learning-oriented type
-式 shì
Means “style” or “format”.
中式 zhōngshì — Chinese style
西式 xīshì — Western style
开放式 kāifàngshì — open-style / open-plan
-感 gǎn
Means “feeling” or “sense”.
成就感 chéngjiùgǎn — sense of achievement
安全感 ānquángǎn — sense of security
方向感 fāngxiànggǎn — sense of direction
-率 lǜ
Means “rate” or “ratio”.
增长率 zēngzhǎnglǜ — growth rate
成功率 chénggōnglǜ — success rate
出勤率 chūqínlǜ — attendance rate
-族 zú
Means “a group of people”.
上班族 shàngbānzú — office workers
低头族 dītóuzú — people always looking at phones
月光族 yuèguāngzú — people who spend all their monthly salary
5 Is It Always an Affix?
The same character can be an affix in one word, but a normal root in another word. Always check the meaning in the whole word.
Affix
桌子 zhuōzi The 子 here is a suffix. It does not mean “child”.
Not an affix
儿子 érzi The 子 here means “son/child”. It is part of the root meaning.
Affix
老张 Lǎo Zhāng The 老 here is a prefix used in friendly address.
Not an affix
老人 lǎorén The 老 here means “old”. It keeps its real meaning.
Affix / quasi-affix
作家 zuòjiā The 家 here means a specialist or professional person.
Not an affix
我家 wǒ jiā The 家 here means “home/family”.
6 How to Identify an Affix
Method 1 Check the position
Affixes usually appear in a fixed position.
Prefix: 老张 lǎo Zhāng — Old Zhang / friendly address
Prefix: 老虎 lǎohǔ — tiger
Prefix: 第一 dì-yī — first
Prefix: 初级 chūjí — beginner / elementary level
Suffix: 桌子 zhuōzi — table
Suffix: 读者 dúzhě — reader
Suffix: 现代化 xiàndàihuà — modernization
Suffix: 重要性 zhòngyàoxìng — importance
Method 2 Check the meaning
If the element no longer keeps its concrete meaning, it may be an affix.
For example:
石头 shítou — real meaning: stone. It does not mean “stone head”.
花儿 huār — real meaning: flower. It does not mean “flower child”.
老虎 lǎohǔ — real meaning: tiger. It does not mean “old tiger”.
Method 3 Check productivity
If it can build many words in the same pattern, it is probably an affix or quasi-affix.
“Can the remaining part stand alone?” is useful, but it is not always absolute. Some roots have meaning but are not commonly used alone in modern Chinese.
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Wrong: The 子 in 儿子 is a suffix.
Why wrong: Here 子 means “son/child”. It is not just a noun marker.
✅ Correct: The 子 in 桌子 is a suffix.
Explanation: Here 子 helps form a noun and does not keep a concrete meaning.
❌ Wrong: The 老 in 老人 is a prefix.
Why wrong: Here 老 means “old”. It keeps its real meaning.
✅ Correct: The 老 in 老张 is a prefix.
Explanation: Here 老 is used as a form of address.
❌ Wrong: Every word with 家 uses 家 as a suffix.
Why wrong: 家 can also mean “home” or “family”.
✅ Correct: In 作家, 家 is a suffix; in 我家, 家 is not a suffix.
Explanation: You must check the meaning in the whole word.
8 Practice
Answer the questions below. Click to check the answers.
Practice 1: Identify the affix
What is the affix in 桌子?
What is the affix in 第一?
What is the affix in 读者?
桌子 → -子 (suffix)
第一 → 第- (prefix)
读者 → -者 (suffix)
Practice 2: Affix or not?
Is 老 in 老人 an affix?
Is 老 in 老张 an affix?
Is 家 in 我家 an affix?
老人 → No, it is not an affix.
老张 → Yes, it is a prefix.
我家 → No, it is not an affix.
Practice 3: Quasi-affixes
What kind of element is 非 in 非正式?
What kind of element is 感 in 安全感?
What kind of element is 率 in 成功率?
非 in 非正式 → quasi-prefix
感 in 安全感 → quasi-suffix
率 in 成功率 → quasi-suffix
1. What is 子 in 胖子?
It is a suffix. It helps form a noun referring to a person.
2. Is 头 in 头发 a suffix?
No. Here 头 keeps its concrete meaning and is not a suffix.
3. What is 化 in 全球化?
化 is a suffix. It means becoming or transforming into a certain state.
4. What is 非 in 非会员?
非 is a quasi-prefix. It means “non- / not”.
5. Is 家 in 我家 a suffix?
No. Here 家 means “home/family”, so it is not a suffix.
