铲子

• Pinyin: chǎn zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 铲 = 钅(metal radical) + 产 (phonetic); 子 = noun suffix, pictograph of a child

Meaning

Shovel; spade; spatula. A flat-bladed implement used for digging, moving, or scraping material.

Refers to different types of flat tools depending on context: a garden or construction spade (for soil), a snow shovel, or a wok spatula (锅铲子 / 锅铲) in the kitchen. The word is concrete and literal; figurative uses are rare, unlike the verb 铲 or the compound 铲除.

Examples

1. 他拿起铲子，在菜园里仔细翻土，为春耕播种做准备。 He picked up the spade and carefully turned the soil in the vegetable garden in preparation for spring planting.
2. 厨房里备了两把铲子，一把炒菜用，另一把专门用来煎荷包蛋。 The kitchen has two spatulas — one for stir-frying and another dedicated to frying eggs sunny-side up.
3. 孩子们带着小铲子在沙滩上堆城堡，玩得不亦乐乎。 The children brought small spades to the beach to build sandcastles and had a wonderful time.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, gardening, construction, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 把铲子递给我，我来把这堆沙子移到那边去。(Pass me the shovel — I'll move this pile of sand over there.)
• 炒菜时记得用锅铲子不停翻动，防止食材糊底。(When stir-frying, remember to keep turning the ingredients with the spatula to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.)

Don't Say

• 用铲子挖了一口深井。(铲子 is a flat scooping tool, not suitable for deep wells — use 挖井工具 or 钻头 for deep drilling)

Origin & History

铲 (to shovel) + 子 (noun suffix for tools). The noun form of 铲.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal