Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 姑 | gū |
| 姑媽 / 姑妈 | gūmā |
| 姑姑 | gūgu |
| 姑母 | gūmǔ |
| 伯母 | bómǔ |
| 大娘 | dàniáng |
| 叔母 | shúmǔ |
| 嬸母 / 婶母 | shěnmǔ |
| 婶母 | shěnmǔ |
| 嬸嬸 / 婶婶 | shěnshen |
| 婶婶 | shěnshen |
| 姨 | yí |
| 姨媽 / 姨妈 | yímā |
| 阿姨 | āyí |
| 姨母 | yímǔ |
| 舅母 | jiùmǔ |
| 舅媽 / 舅妈 | jiùmā |
| 妗母 | jìnmǔ |
| 妗子 | jìnzi |
Use terms derived from 姑 (gū) for your father's sisters or sisters-in-law, and terms derived from 姨 (yí) for your mother's sisters or sisters-in-law. Other terms exist for the wives of your father's brothers or your mother's brothers, such as 舅母 (jiùmǔ) or 妗母 (jìnmǔ).
What does it mean word for word?
The term 姑 (gū) specifically refers to a paternal aunt, meaning your father's sister.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on whether the aunt is paternal or maternal. Use 姑 (gū) and its variations for a paternal aunt (father's side), while use 姨 (yí) and its variations for a maternal aunt (mother's side). For a more natural way to refer to a paternal aunt in spoken conversation, use 姑姑 (gūgu) instead of the root 姑. For a maternal aunt, 姨妈 (yímā) is a standard spoken form compared to the root 姨.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, kinship terms like these are often used as titles instead of names when addressing the person directly.
How do you pronounce it?
gū
When do people say it?
In many Chinese-speaking contexts, the term 阿姨 (āyí) is a common way to address an aunt regardless of their side of the family or age and it serves as a polite social address for many women.
Did you know?
- The term 阿姨 (āyí) is also commonly used as a professional title for a domestic helper or nanny working in a household.
- Depending on the region, a child might use 大娘 (dàniáng) for their father's eldest brother's wife, emphasizing the hierarchical order of the family.
- The character 姑 (gū) contains the component for 'woman' (女), hinting at its ancient origins as a word describing a specific type of female relative.
Examples in context
- 她长得像她姑姑。She resembles her aunt.This sentence shows how to use the form 姑 to describe resemblance.Tatoeba #4764552 by ryanwoo, translation #310595 by CK
- 我在欧洲偶遇了姑母。I ran into my aunt by chance in Europe.This sentence demonstrates the use of the form 姑 in a sentence about a chance encounter.Tatoeba #8865172 by crescat, translation #1318688 by CK
- 我的阿姨因肺癌去世了。My aunt died of lung cancer.This sentence uses the form 姨 to discuss a relative's passing.Tatoeba #13893804 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #5034193 by AlanF_US
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about family members at a cafe.
- 雨婷 Yuting你姑最近还好吗？Nǐ gū zuìjìn hái hǎo ma?How has your aunt been lately?
- 志强 Zhiqiang她身体很健康。Tā shēntǐ hěn jiànkāng.She is in good health.
- 雨婷 Yuting那是好事。Nà shì hǎoshì.That is good news.
- 志强 Zhiqiang谢谢你的关心。Xièxiè nǐ de guānxīn.Thanks for your concern.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 姑, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
