妻子
qīzǐ · HSK 4
married woman
👰 妻子 = wife + child-suffix; 妻 alone = wife
妻 (qī) is the wife character; 子 (zǐ) here is a noun-suffix, not literally child. Compare 房子 fáng-zi house, 桌子 zhuō-zi table — 子 just nominalises. So 妻子 reads as wife + noun-marker = wife.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.