Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 姑媽 / 姑妈 | gu¹ maa¹ |
| 姑姐 | gu¹ ze¹ |
| 伯娘 | baak³ noeng⁴ |
| 阿嬸 / 阿婶 | aa³ sam² |
| 姨媽 / 姨妈 | ji⁴ maa¹ |
| 阿姨 | |
| 舅母 | kau⁵ mou⁵ |
In Cantonese, the term for aunt is highly specific to the side of the family and the exact relationship. While many words describe biological aunts, some terms are used colloquially to address women who are not relatives. For example, 阿姨 is a common, polite way to address a middle-aged woman you do not know personally and 阿嬸 / 阿婶 is used to address the wife of a man's younger brother or a woman of a similar generation to your parents.
Which one should you use?
The different forms are chosen based on precise kinship: 姑媽 / 姑妈 refers specifically to a paternal aunt (your father's sister), while 姨媽 / 姨妈 refers specifically to a maternal aunt (your mother's sister). If you are referring to the wife of your mother's brother, use 舅母. Other forms include 姑姐 for a sister-in-law or paternal aunt, 伯娘 for an aunt and the colloquial 阿嬸 / 阿婶 for a younger brother's wife or a woman of your parents' generation.
How do you pronounce it?
gu¹ maa¹
Did you know?
- In Cantonese culture, the strict distinction between 姑 for paternal aunts and 姨 for maternal aunts is a linguistic remnant of ancient clan structures that prioritized the father's lineage.
- In a busy Cantonese market, you might hear shopkeepers call female customers 阿姨 or 阿嬸 to create a sense of familiarity and trust through 'pseudo-kinship'.
- In many traditional Cantonese households, you would never call an aunt by her actual given name, as using a kinship term like 姨媽 even for distant relatives shows much more respect.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
