轮子

• Pinyin: lún zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 轮 = 车 (vehicle) + 仑 (order, phonetic) — wheel; 子 = nominal suffix

Meaning

Wheel. A circular component that rotates on an axle, used in vehicles and machinery.

The everyday word for a wheel on vehicles, carts, or any rotating circular object. Can refer to bicycle wheels, car tires, cart wheels, etc. The 子 suffix makes it colloquial. In figurative use, 车轮 is more formal, while 轮子 is the daily conversational term.

Examples

1. 自行车的轮子坏了，我得去修一下。 The bicycle wheel is broken — I need to get it fixed.
2. 这辆车的轮子转不动了。 The wheels of this car won't turn anymore.
3. 小孩在地上滚着一个大轮子玩。 The child was rolling a big wheel on the ground for fun.

Usage Guide

Context: vehicles, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你看，行李箱的轮子掉了。(Look, the wheel of the suitcase fell off.)
• 换一个新轮子大概要多少钱？(How much does it cost to replace a wheel?)

Don't Say

• 飞机的轮子很大 — for airplane landing gear wheels, the technical term is 起落架 (landing gear); 轮子 sounds too casual for this context

Origin & History

轮 means 'wheel' and 子 is a nominal suffix. 轮 originally depicted the wheel of a cart.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal