胖子

• Pinyin: pàng zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 胖 = 月 (flesh/body radical) + 半 (half) — originally the plump side of a sacrificial animal; 子 = noun suffix

Meaning

Fat person; a colloquial and somewhat blunt term for an overweight person.

A casual noun formed by adding the noun suffix 子 to 胖 (fat). In Chinese culture, calling someone 胖子 can be used affectionately among close friends or family (especially as a nickname like 小胖子), but it can also be considered rude depending on context. Less sensitive than the English equivalent due to different cultural attitudes toward weight comments, though awareness is growing.

Examples

1. 他小时候是个胖子，长大以后瘦了很多。 He was a chubby kid, but slimmed down a lot after growing up.
2. 那个胖子跑得还挺快的，真让人意外。 That fat guy runs quite fast — it's really surprising.
3. 别叫他胖子了，他正在努力减肥呢。 Stop calling him fat — he's working hard on losing weight.

Usage Guide

Context: colloquial, nicknames, everyday

Tone: blunt

Do Say

• 他是我们班有名的小胖子。(He's the well-known chubby kid in our class.)
• 以前我是个胖子，现在瘦了二十斤。(I used to be fat, but now I've lost twenty jin.)

Don't Say

• 对不熟的人说'你是胖子' (Don't call someone you don't know well a 胖子 — it can be offensive; only use it among close friends who don't mind, or use 有点胖 more tactfully)

Origin & History

Formed from 胖 (fat/plump) and the nominal suffix 子, creating a noun that labels a person by their body type.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal