Chinese word

阿姨

Pronunciation

Pinyinā yí

Meaning

  • nounauntie

Example

昨天我在市场遇到阿姨了。zuó tiān wǒ zài shì chǎng yù dào ā yí le

Yesterday I ran into my auntie at the market.

Illustration for 阿姨 (auntie)

More examples

我刚给阿姨打电话，她正在做饭。wǒ gāng gěi ā yí dǎ diàn huà tā zhèng zài zuò fàn

I just called my auntie, and she was cooking.

Core concept

A kinship title that also works as a warm social form of address for an adult woman, including someone who helps in a household.

Common phrases

  • 给阿姨打电话gěi ā yí dǎ diàn huà

    call auntie

  • 请阿姨帮忙qǐng ā yí bāng máng

    ask auntie for help

  • 跟阿姨聊天gēn ā yí liáo tiān

    chat with auntie

Similar words

姨妈yí mā: A family term for a mother's sister.
姑姑gū gū: A family term for a father's sister.
婶婶shén shěn: A family term for one's father's younger brother's wife.
大妈dà mā: A friendly spoken form of address for an older woman.

Definition in Chinese

指母亲的妹妹；也常作为对与自己无血缘关系的中年女性的称呼，表示亲切或礼貌，有时用于称呼家政阿姨。zhǐ mǔ qīn de mèi mèi yě cháng zuò wéi duì yǔ zì jǐ wú xuè yuán guān xì de zhōng nián nǚ xìng de chēng hū biǎo shì qīn qiè huò lǐ mào yǒu shí yòng yú chēng hū jiā zhèng ā yí

Word origin

阿 (ā, "familiar prefix") + 姨 (yí, "mother's sister") combines a familiar form with the maternal-aunt term, which helps explain its use beyond a literal family relationship.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often reserve aunt terms for relatives, but Chinese speakers may use this form in ordinary public interaction, so the surrounding situation matters more than family connection alone.

Other meanings

  • maternal auntnoun
  • domestic helpernoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word