Chinese word

姥姥

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo lao

Meaning

  • noungrandmother

Example

我小时候跟姥姥住在一起。wǒ xiǎo shí hòu gēn lǎo lao zhù zài yì qǐ

When I was little, I lived with my grandmother.

Illustration for 姥姥 (grandmother)

More examples

我每天给姥姥打电话，问候她。wǒ měi tiān gěi lǎo lao dǎ diàn huà wèn hòu tā

I call my grandmother every day and ask how she is.

Core concept

A close older woman on the mother's side of the family, heard in warm spoken family language.

Common phrases

  • 和姥姥聊天hé lǎo lao liáo tiān

    chat with grandmother

  • 给姥姥打电话gěi lǎo lao dǎ diàn huà

    call grandmother

  • 照顾姥姥zhào gù lǎo lao

    care for grandmother

Similar words

外婆wài pó: A common spoken term for a mother's mother.
奶奶nái nǎi: A term for a father's mother.
祖母zú mǔ: A formal written term for a grandmother.
外祖母wài zú mǔ: A formal written term for a mother's mother.

Definition in Chinese

指母方的祖母，常见于北方方言的口语称呼，带有亲昵意味。zhǐ mǔ fāng de zú mǔ cháng jiàn yú běi fāng fāng yán de kóu yǔ chēng hū dài yǒu qīn nì yì wèi

Word origin

姥姥 (lǎolao, "maternal grandmother") developed in northern speech from 姥 (lǎo, "older woman"), with repetition making the family term sound familiar and affectionate.

Usage tips

  • English uses one broad term for a grandmother, while Chinese kinship vocabulary can mark the family side, so the mother's side is part of the meaning rather than optional background information.

Opposites

Word lists with this word