in 这儿 那儿 哪儿 the 儿 doesn't mean anything on its own
#what does 儿 mean
pulsar chasm
@river zodiac boop
though 儿 also appears in many other words, and there it serves as a "diminutive suffix", either
- signifying that something is small or insignificant (e.g. 小猫儿 kitten), or
- changing the meaning of a word altogether (眼 eye vs 眼儿 hole)
_ _
but then again:
- some mandarin dialects (e.g. beijing mandarin) may use 儿 more often than standard mandarin, and in different places
- standard mandarin in mainland china uses 儿 far far more often than standard mandarin in taiwan
- southern speakers tend to use 儿 less often than northern speakers (so a southern speaker might say 小猫 not 小猫儿, say 那里 not 那儿, and say 眼 and not 眼儿)