HSK · Level 22
135 words
Chinese word
姑娘
Pronunciation
Pinyingū niáng
Meaning
- nounyoung woman
Example
我在街上见到一位姑娘。wǒ zài jiē shàng jiàn dào yí wèi gū niáng
I saw a young woman on the street.
More examples
他介绍了一位新来的姑娘给我们认识。tā jiè shào le yí wèi xīn lái de gū niáng gěi wǒ men rèn shí
He introduced a young woman who had just arrived to us.
Core concept
A familiar young female person in an everyday social setting.
Common phrases
小姑娘xiǎo gū niáng
little girl
年轻的姑娘nián qīng de gū niáng
young woman
漂亮的姑娘piào liàng de gū niáng
pretty young woman
Similar words
女孩nǚ hái: A female child or teenager.
女生nǚ shēng: A woman who is a student.
女人nǚ rén: A woman who has reached adulthood.
女士nǚ shì: A respectful way to address a woman in a formal setting.
Definition in Chinese
口语中称呼年轻女性的名词，既可指少女，也可指二十来岁的女子，带有亲切或中性语气。kóu yǔ zhōng chēng hū nián qīng nǚ xìng de míng cí jì kě zhǐ shào nǚ yě kě zhǐ èr shí lái suì de nǘ zǐ dài yǒu qīn qiè huò zhōng xìng yǔ qì
Word origin
姑娘 (gūniáng, "young woman") uses two older words connected with women and female kin, but the compound's modern sense is conventional rather than the direct sum of its parts.
Usage tips
- For English speakers, "girl" often points to a child, but 姑娘 (gūniáng, "young woman") can refer to an adult in her twenties, so age comes from context rather than the English label alone.
Other meanings
- girlnoun
- young ladynoun
Opposites
- 小伙子xiáo huǒ ziyoung mannoun
- 男孩子nán hái ziboynoun
Related words
- 小姑娘xiǎo gū niánglittle girlnoun
- 老姑娘lǎo gū niángolder unmarried womannoun