Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| нүр | nür | Dungan | |
| 女兒 / 女儿 | nǚ'ér | ||
| 閨女 / 闺女 | guīnü | colloquial | |
| 姑娘 | gūniang | /ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑŋ²/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑ̃ɻ²/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 姑娘兒 / 姑娘儿) |
colloquial |
| 查某囝 | cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ | /t͡sa⁴⁴⁻³³ bɔ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ kiã⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Singapore, Kaohsiung, Yilan, Tainan, Taichung, Sinological IPA, Magong, Hsinchu, Yongchun) /t͡sa⁴⁴⁻²² bɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kiã⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Singapore, Kaohsiung, Yilan, Tainan, Taichung, Sinological IPA, Magong, Hsinchu, Yongchun, Yongchun) |
Hokkien |
These terms are used to refer to a female offspring. In Mandarin, 女兒 / 女儿 is the standard way to name one's daughter. In some contexts, 姑娘 can also be used to mean daughter, though it is more commonly used to refer to a young woman or a maiden.
What does it mean word for word?
The Mandarin term 女兒 / 女儿 (nǚ'ér) is composed of 女 (female) and 儿 (child/suffix), which literally means "female child".
Which one should you use?
The terms vary significantly by language and register. 女兒 / 女儿 is the standard Mandarin term, while 閨女 / 闺女 and 姑娘 are colloquial. In Mandarin, 千金 is a formal term used to refer to a daughter, especially in a poetic or literary context.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For standard and formal situations in Mandarin, use 女兒 / 女儿. If you wish to be formal or poetic, you can use 千金. For a more colloquial or casual tone, especially in Northern China, you might use 閨女 / 闺女. The term 姑娘 is also colloquial but more commonly used to refer to a young woman or a maiden.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word used depends on the specific language or dialect: нүр is the Dungan term, 查某囝 is used in Hokkien and 閨女 / 闺女 is a colloquial form commonly used in Northern China.
How do you pronounce it?
нүр is pronounced nür.
Did you know?
- Dungan is a variety of Chinese spoken in Central Asia that uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which is why нүр is written with letters usually associated with Russian.
- When speaking highly of someone else's daughter, you might use the term 千金 (qiānjīn), which literally translates to 'thousand pieces of gold'.
- In Northern China, calling someone's daughter 闺女 (guīnu) creates a mental image of a 'boudoir girl', referring to the private chambers where women historically lived.
Examples in context
- 我有一个女儿。I have a daughter.
- 这位千金出生在一个富有的家庭。This daughter was born into a wealthy family.
- 他的闺女曾经是个优秀的学生。His daughter was once an excellent student.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “daughter” translations and entries 姑娘, 查某囝, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
