Chinese word

闺女

Pronunciation

Pinyinguī nǚ

Meaning

  • noundaughter

Example

我想买一件礼物给闺女。wǒ xiǎng mǎi yí jiàn lǐ wù gěi guī nǚ

I want to buy a gift for my daughter.

Illustration for 闺女 (daughter)

More examples

闺女明年要出国留学，我们正在准备签证。guī nǚ míng nián yào chū guó liú xué wǒ men zhèng zài zhǔn bèi qiān zhèng

Our daughter is going abroad to study next year, so we are preparing her visa.

Core concept

A parent's affectionate name for a daughter, which can also sound like a warm reference to a girl in ordinary speech.

Common phrases

  • 宠爱闺女chǒng ài guī nǚ

    dote on one's daughter

  • 送闺女上学sòng guī nǚ shàng xué

    send one's daughter to school

  • 给闺女买礼物gěi guī nǚ mǎi lǐ wù

    buy one's daughter a gift

Similar words

女儿nǚ ér: The ordinary term for a daughter in a family.

Definition in Chinese

父母的女儿，常用作口语中对自己或他人女儿的亲昵称呼。fù mǔ de nǚ ér cháng yòng zuò kóu yǔ zhōng duì zì jǐ huò tā rén nǚ ér de qīn nì chēng hū

Word origin

闺女 (guīnǚ, "daughter") is built from 闺 (guī, "inner household room") and 女 (nǚ, "woman or girl"), a combination that gives the word its home-centered association.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may expect a child-only word because of the sense girl, but Chinese speakers can use it for a grown daughter when the relationship is close.

Other meanings

  • girlnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 闺蜜guī mìfemale best friendnoun
  • 闺房guī fángwoman's private roomnoun

Word lists with this word