爸爸 bàba — dad, father

Meanings

1. 1

   dad, father

   The everyday word for one’s father, used both to talk about him and to address him. Family words like this drop the 的 after a pronoun: 我爸爸, not 我的爸爸.

   noun

Character breakdown

• 爸

  bà (fourth tone, falling)

  father, dad (chiefly in 爸爸)

  8 strokes⿱父巴Radical 父
• 爸

  bà (fourth tone, falling)

  father, dad (chiefly in 爸爸)

  8 strokes⿱父巴Radical 父

Example sentences

• 我爸爸喜欢看书。/我爸爸喜歡看書。Wǒ (third tone, dipping) bàba (fourth tone, falling) xǐhuan (third tone, dipping) kàn (fourth tone, falling) shū. (first tone, high and level)···

  My dad likes reading.

• 爸爸，我们几点回家？/爸爸，我們幾點回家？Bàba, (fourth tone, falling) wǒmen (third tone, dipping) jǐ (third tone, dipping) diǎn (third tone, dipping) huí (second tone, rising) jiā? (first tone, high and level)···

  Dad, what time are we going home?

Common mistakes

• Not quitebà bà

  Correctbà ba

  Only the first syllable carries the fourth tone; the second is neutral. The same pattern holds for 妈妈, 哥哥 and 姐姐.

Similar words