Chinese word

老太太

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo tài tài

Meaning

  • nounold lady

Example

那位老太太坐在公园的长椅上。nà wèi lǎo tài tài zuò zài gōng yuán de cháng yǐ shàng

That old lady is sitting on a park bench.

Illustration for 老太太 (old lady)

More examples

邻居的老太太每天早上散步。lín jū de lǎo tài tài měi tiān zǎo shàng sàn bù

The neighbor's elderly lady takes a walk every morning.

Core concept

An age-marked form of respect for an older woman outside the speaker's close social circle.

Common phrases

  • 那位老太太nà wèi lǎo tài tài

    that elderly lady

  • 邻居的老太太lín jū de lǎo tài tài

    the neighbor's elderly lady

Similar words

奶奶nái nǎi: A term for one's paternal grandmother.
阿姨ā yí: A term for one's maternal aunt.
老人lǎo rén: A term for elderly people of any gender.
老奶奶láo nái nǎi: A warm and familiar form of address for an older woman.

Definition in Chinese

指年龄较大的女性，常用于对不太熟识或陌生的年长女性的称呼，带有尊称意味。zhǐ nián líng jiào dà de nǚ xìng cháng yòng yú duì bú tài shú shí huò mò shēng de nián zhǎng nǚ xìng de chēng hū dài yǒu zūn chēng yì wèi

Word origin

The word is built from 老 (lǎo, "old") and 太太 (tàitai, "madam"), joining age with a polite title for a woman.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often uses age and family-style titles to manage social distance, so this expression can sound more courteous than its direct English counterpart.

Opposites

  • 年轻人nián qīng rényoung personnoun
  • 年轻女士nián qīng nǚ shìyoung womannoun

Word lists with this word