Chinese word

妹妹

Pronunciation

Pinyinmèi mèi

Meaning

  • nounyounger sister

Example

我和妹妹一起去超市。wǒ hé mèi mèi yì qǐ qù chāo shì

My younger sister and I go to the supermarket together.

Illustration for 妹妹 (younger sister)

More examples

我的妹妹今年十岁。wǒ de mèi mèi jīn nián shí suì

My younger sister is ten years old this year.

Core concept

A female family member who is younger than the speaker, seen within the family age order.

Common phrases

  • 我的妹妹wǒ de mèi mèi

    my younger sister

  • 我有妹妹wǒ yǒu mèi mèi

    have a younger sister

  • 和妹妹一起hé mèi mèi yì qǐ

    together with one's younger sister

Similar words

哥哥gē gē: An older brother in relation to the person speaking.
姐姐jié jiě: An older sister in relation to the person speaking.
弟弟dì di: A younger brother in relation to the person speaking.
姐妹jiě mèi: Two or more sisters in the same family.

Definition in Chinese

口语中用来称呼自己年纪比自己小的女性亲属，常与“哥哥”“姐姐”等词一起构成家庭成员称谓。kóu yǔ zhōng yòng lái chēng hū zì jǐ nián jì bǐ zì jǐ xiǎo de nǚ xìng qīn shǔ cháng yǔ gē gē jié jiě děng cí yì qǐ gòu chéng jiā tíng chéng yuán chēng wèi

Word origin

妹妹 (mèimèi, "younger sister") repeats 妹 (mèi, "younger sister"), whose 女 (nǚ, "female") component points to the meaning and 未 (wèi, "not yet") mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • In English, "sister" does not show whether the sibling is older or younger, so this word carries an age detail that English usually leaves unstated.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word