Chinese word

娘

Pronunciation

Pinyinniáng

Meaning

  • nounmom

Example

我娘做的菜很好吃。wǒ niáng zuò de cài hěn hǎo chī

The food my mom makes is delicious.

Illustration for 娘 (mom)

More examples

婚礼后她回了娘家。hūn lǐ hòu tā huí le niáng jiā

After the wedding, she went back to her mother's family home.

Core concept

A plain, affectionate family term for one's mother in familiar speech.

Common phrases

  • 娘家niáng jiā

    mother's family home

  • 回娘家huí niáng jiā

    go back to one's mother's home

Similar words

妈妈mā mā: A familiar everyday way to refer to or address one's mother at home.
妈mā: A short, casual spoken form for one's mother.
母亲mǔ qīn: A formal term for one's mother, common in writing and serious settings.

Definition in Chinese

用来称呼母亲，多见于口语和方言，语气朴素亲切。yòng lái chēng hū mǔ qīn duō jiàn yú kóu yǔ hé fāng yán yǔ qì pǔ sù qīn qiè

Word origin

娘 (niáng, "mother") began as a word for a young woman and later took on the mother sense associated with 孃 (niáng, "mother"), while 女 (nǚ, "woman") reflects its older female-person sense.

Usage tips

  • Its plain or regional flavor matters in listening: the speaker still means a mother, but the choice can reveal a family or local speech style.

Opposites

Related words

  • 娘家niáng jiāmother's family homenoun
  • 娘子niáng zǐwifenoun

Word lists with this word