āyí
general, friendly
In pinyin "aunt" depends on the side of the family. yímā (姨妈) is your mother's sister, gūmā (姑妈) is your father's sister, and āyí (阿姨) is a friendly word for any woman of your mother's age.
Meaning: aunt, father's or mother's sister (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Note |
|---|---|
| āyí | general, friendly |
| yímā | mother's sister |
| gūmā | father's sister |
Children say āyí (阿姨) to friends' mothers and neighbors. Relatives are called by their kinship word, sometimes with the name added, such as Lì yímā.
Which one should you use?
English uses one word for both sides, while Chinese separates mother's side from father's side, so you need to know which aunt you mean.
Did you know?
- Chinese kinship terms are specific, so a maternal aunt yímā and a paternal aunt gūmā are different words.
Examples in context
- Āyí hǎo.Hello, auntie.
- Wǒ yímā zhù zài Shànghǎi.My aunt lives in Shanghai.
- Wǒ gūmā hěn xǐhuan zuò fàn.My aunt loves cooking.
Example conversation
Xiao Yu runs into his friend's mother outside a school in Beijing. She is Mrs. Zhang.
- Xiao YuĀyí hǎo!Hello, auntie!
- Mrs. ZhangNǐ hǎo, Xiǎo Yǔ.Hello, Xiao Yu.
- Xiao YuĀyí, nín qù nǎr?Auntie, where are you going?
