How to Write 孙 (sūn) — Meaning “grandchild; grandson”

Imagine a "small son" (小子) running around your house — that small son is your grandson. Since 孙 combines 子 (son/child) and 小 (small), the visual trick is to think of a tiny "son" figure to recall the meaning of grandchild.

Pay attention to the third stroke of the left part 子: it is a rising stroke (提), not a horizontal line. Also, the right part 小 has a vertical hook (竖钩) as its first stroke, followed by two dots. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced to avoid a squished look.

孙 has 子 on the left and 小 on the right, meaning grandchild. 孔 (kǒng) has 子 on the left and a curved hook (乚) on the right, meaning hole or a surname. 孕 (yùn) has 乃 on top and 子 on the bottom, meaning pregnant. The key visual difference is the right or top component.

孙 is very common as a surname (姓孙), like the famous leader Sun Yat-sen (孙中山). It also appears in family terms such as 孙子 (grandson) and 孙女 (granddaughter). In Chinese culture, grandchildren are cherished, and using 孙 shows the respect and affection for the younger generation.

Common words containing 孙 include: 孙子 (sūn zi) — grandson; 孙女 (sūn nǚ) — granddaughter; 姓孙 (xìng sūn) — Surname Sun.