仔

仔 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+3, 5 strokes, cangjie input 人弓木 (OND), four-corner 2724₇, composition ⿰亻子)

• KangXi: page 92, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 367
• Dae Jaweon: page 195, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 115, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4ED4

Historical forms of the character 仔
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script
Bronze inscriptions b12370 b12371 Small seal script s05820
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔslɯ, *ʔslɯʔ) : semantic 人 (“person”) + phonetic 子 (OC *ʔslɯʔ)

Cognate with 子 (OC *ʔslɯʔ) and 崽 (OC *ʔslɯːʔ, *srɯː, *srɯː). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

仔

1. (domesticated animals or fowls) young

   仔雞／仔鸡  ―  zǐjī  ―  chick

   alt. forms: 子

2. ^† meticulous; fine

   仔細／仔细  ―  zǐxì  ―  careful; meticulous

3. (Taiwan) Alternative form of 籽 (zǐ, “seed”).

   菜仔油  ―  càizǐ yóu  ―  rapeseed oil

仔

1. (Cantonese, dialectal Hakka, Shehua) son (Classifier: 個／个 c; 粒 c)

   你個仔真係好乖。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   你个仔真系好乖。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ go³ zai² zan¹ hai⁶ hou² gwaai¹. [Jyutping]

   Your son is very well-behaved.

2. (Cantonese) child

   生仔 [Cantonese]  ―  saang¹ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  to give birth (to a child)

3. (Cantonese, slang) boyfriend (Classifier: 條／条 c)

   你條仔嚟咗。／你条仔嚟咗。 [Cantonese]  ―  nei⁵ tiu⁴ zai² lai⁴ zo². [Jyutping]  ―  Your boyfriend came.

4. (Cantonese, slang) (young) male (Classifier: 條／条 c; 隻／只 c)

   我係仔嚟㗎喎。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   我系仔嚟㗎㖞。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   ngo⁵ hai⁶ zai² lai⁴ gaa³ wo³. [Jyutping]

   I'm a guy, though.

5. (Cantonese, dialectal Hakka, Min Bei) Diminutive suffix.
   1. Denotes a young male of a particular trait.

      肥仔 [Cantonese]  ―  fei⁴ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  fatty

      後生仔／后生仔 [Cantonese]  ―  hau⁶ saang¹ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  young man

   2. Denotes a young male of a particular occupation or background, often demeaningly.

      打工仔 [Cantonese]  ―  daa² gung¹ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  young worker

      拔萃仔 [Cantonese]  ―  bat⁶ seoi⁶ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  DBS kid

      日本仔 [Cantonese]  ―  jat⁶ bun² zai² [Jyutping]  ―  Japanese guy

   3. Used to call somebody affectionately. (For names, it is only used for males.)

      明仔 [Cantonese]  ―  ming⁴ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  Little Ming

      強仔／强仔 [Cantonese]  ―  koeng⁴ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  Little Keung

      老婆仔 [Cantonese]  ―  lou⁵ po⁴ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  wifey

   4. Demeaningly denotes somebody of a particular occupation or position.

      秘書仔／秘书仔 [Cantonese]  ―  bei³ syu¹ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  a mere secretary

   5. Denotes a young animal.

      狗仔 [Cantonese]  ―  gau² zai² [Jyutping]  ―  puppy

      羊仔 [Cantonese]  ―  joeng⁴ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  lamb

   6. Denotes something that is small in size.

      凳仔 [Cantonese]  ―  dang³ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  small stool

      雀仔 [Cantonese]  ―  zoek³ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  birdie

      眼仔睩睩 [Cantonese]  ―  ngaan⁵ zai² luk¹ luk¹ [Jyutping]  ―  little eyes rolling

   7. Denotes the younger sibling of one's spouse.

      叔仔 [Cantonese]  ―  suk¹ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  brother-in-law (husband's younger brother)

      姨仔 [Cantonese]  ―  ji^4-1 zai² [Jyutping]  ―  sister-in-law (wife's younger sister)

   8. Used with single-syllable nouns without denoting a specific meaning.

      耳仔 [Cantonese]  ―  ji⁵ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  ears

6. (Cantonese) Used after a classifier to indicate that something is small in size and/or quantity.

   得嗰廿蚊仔，邊夠錢買嘢食啊？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   得嗰廿蚊仔，边够钱买嘢食啊？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   dak¹ go² jaa⁶ man¹ zai², bin¹ gau³ cin² maai⁵ je⁵ sik⁶ aa¹? [Jyutping]

   With just a mere twenty bucks, how do we have enough to buy food?

7. (Cantonese, slang, neologism) Suffix placed after a verb or adjective to sound cute and affectionate.

   聽日就要返學仔喇。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   听日就要返学仔喇。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   teng¹ jat⁶ zau⁶ jiu³ faan¹ hok⁶ zai² laa³. [Jyutping]

   Tomorrow, you've got to go to school.

   我今日好開心仔啊！ [Cantonese, trad.]
   我今日好开心仔啊！ [Cantonese, simp.]

   ngo⁵ gam¹ jat⁶ hou² hoi¹ sam¹ zai² aa¹! [Jyutping]

   I'm really happy today!

Pronunciation 1 is a weak form of 囝 (kiáⁿ, káⁿ). (Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations in words borrowed from Min Nan are from etymology 1.)

仔 (chiefly Min Nan)

1. a diminutive suffix for nouns, adjectives or quantities

   囡仔 [Hokkien]  ―  gín-á [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  child

   小叔仔 [Hokkien]  ―  sió-chek-á [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  brother-in-law (husband's younger brother)

   勻勻仔／匀匀仔 [Hokkien]  ―  ûn-ûn-á [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  slowly

   小可仔 [Hokkien]  ―  sió-khóa-á [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  a little bit

   歌仔戲／歌仔戏  ―  gēzǐxì  ―  Taiwanese opera

2. a suffix that converts a verb or adjective into a noun

   抿仔 [Hokkien]  ―  bín-á [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  brush

   矮仔 [Hokkien]  ―  é-á [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  shorty

3. a suffix placed after a name or title, used endearingly, humorously or pejoratively

Tone sandhi before 仔 differ from the normal rules in some dialects of Hokkien. In Taiwanese Hokkien, only the rules for tones 1, 2, 4 (-p/t/k) and 8 (-p/t/k) remain unchanged:

• tone 3 → tone 1 (instead of tone 2): 印仔 (ìn-á)
• tone 4 (-h) → tone 1 (instead of tone 2): 鴨仔 (ah-á)
• tone 5 → tone 7 (instead of tone 3 in northern Taiwan): 蝦仔 (hê-á)
• tone 7 does not change (instead of changing to tone 3): 帽仔 (bō-á)
• tone 8 (-h) → tone 7 (instead of tone 3): 藥仔 (io̍h-á)

• See 仔/derived terms § Suffix (Chinese).

仔

1. Alternative form of 囝, especially when used as a suffix.

Weak form of 佮 (kah, kap, “and”).

仔

1. (Min Nan) An interfix placed between two nouns to show the relationship between the two objects.

   翁仔某 [Hokkien]  ―  ang-á-bó͘ [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  husband and wife

Weak form of 百 (pah, “hundred”).

仔

1. (Min Nan) An interfix placed between two numbers to denote the value of 100, i.e. x 仔 y = 100x + 10y.

   三仔五 [Hokkien]  ―  saⁿ-á-gō͘ [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  three hundred fifty

Weak form of 旦 (tòaⁿ, “dawn”).

仔

1. (Min Nan) An interfix used limitedly in certain temporal location adverbs.

   今仔日 [Hokkien]  ―  kin-á-ji̍t [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  today

   明仔載／明仔载 [Hokkien]  ―  bîn-á-chài [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  tomorrow

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

仔 (Hakka)

1. a suffix used after nouns

   樹仔／树仔 [Sixian Hakka]  ―  su-é [Pha̍k-fa-sṳ]  ―  tree

2. a suffix that makes a derogatory slur

   阿山仔 [Sixian Hakka]  ―  â-sân-é [Pha̍k-fa-sṳ]  ―  Mainlander

• See 仔/derived terms § Suffix (2) (Chinese).

Cognate with 載 (OC *ʔslɯːʔ, *ʔslɯːs, *zlɯːs, “to load; to carry”).

仔

1. Only used in 仔肩 (zījiān).

From 著／着.

仔 (Wu)

1. Used to show a verb has been completed before the last verb of a sentence, often in a sequence of events.

   • 一清早豁腳，拉伊頭吃仔中飯，搭朋友白話仔歇，就朝屋裡跑，六點鐘到仔渡口，到屋裡已經有六點半鐘哉。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
     一清早豁脚，拉伊头吃仔中饭，搭朋友白话仔歇，就朝屋里跑，六点钟到仔渡口，到屋里已经有六点半钟哉。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

     From: 2010, Qian Nairong, 《從〈滬語便商〉所見的老上海話時態》 (Tenses and Aspects? Old Shanghainese as Found in the Book Huyu Bian Shang)

     Early in the morning [I] washed [my] feet, then [I] had lunch there, then had a chat with friends, then started going home, [I] got to the pier at six, and by the time I arrive home it's six-thirty.

2. Used to indicate the present perfective.

   我到仔有兩三日哉。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
   我到仔有两三日哉。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

   From: 2010, Qian Nairong, 《從〈滬語便商〉所見的老上海話時態》 (Tenses and Aspects? Old Shanghainese as Found in the Book Huyu Bian Shang)

   I've been here for several days already.

   覅讓俚逃走脫仔！ [Suzhounese, trad.]
   覅让俚逃走脱仔！ [Suzhounese, simp.]

   From: 江苏省志・方言志, page 538

   Don't let him get away!

In some lects, such as Shanghainese, 了 is a lot more common nowadays. To distinguish between it, 脫了, and 脫, see 脫了#Usage notes