姐妹
jiěmèi/t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯⁵¹/
In Chinese, the word for sister is 姐妹 (jiěmèi). Wiktionary also lists 姐姐 (jiějie) and 妹妹 (mèimei).
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 姐妹 | jiěmèi | /t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡sɛː³⁵ muːi̯²²/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 姐姐 | jiějie | /t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴ d͡ʑ̥i̯ɛ⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Mainland China, standard, Taiwan, Sinological IPA) /t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Taiwan, variant, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 妹妹 | mèimei | /meɪ̯⁵¹ meɪ̯¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Mainland China, standard, Taiwan, Sinological IPA) /meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Taiwan, variant, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 嬃 / 媭 | xū | ||
| 大姊 | tōa-chí | /tua³³⁻¹¹ t͡si⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese) /tua²²⁻²¹ t͡si⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 小妹 | sió-mōe | /sio⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ be⁴¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Dongshi, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Magong) /sio⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be²²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Dongshi, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Magong) |
Hokkien |
| 姊妹 | chí-mōe | /t͡si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be²²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Magong) /t͡si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Magong) |
Hokkien |
| 阿姊 | a-chí | /a⁴⁴⁻²² t͡si⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Lukang, Yilan, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Sanxia) /a⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡si⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Lukang, Yilan, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Sanxia) |
Hokkien |
The term for sister depends on whether you are referring to a specific person based on their age relative to you, or speaking about sisters in a general or collective sense.
Which one should you use?
姐姐 (jiějie) is used specifically for an older sister, while 妹妹 (mèimei) is used specifically for a younger sister. In contrast, 姐妹 (jiěmèi) is used to refer to sisters in a general sense.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien (Southern Min), some people address an older sister as 阿姊 (a-chí). In Teochew, the term 阿姐 is used to address an older sister. In Cantonese, the term for a younger sister is 妹妹 (mùih-mùih). In Dungan, the forms җеҗе (jiəjiə) and мыймый (mɨymɨy) are used. In Hokkien, other forms include 大姊 (tōa-chí), 小妹 (sió-mōe) and 姊妹 (chí-mōe).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is jiěmèi. The IPA is /tɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯⁵¹/.
Did you know?
- The Dungan forms җеҗе and мыймый are written in a modified Cyrillic alphabet because Dungan is a Chinese-based language spoken primarily in Central Asia.
- The concept of 'sisterhood' extends to 结拜姐妹 (jiébài jiěmèi), which refers to sisters who have formally sworn a bond of loyalty through a ritual, regardless of biological relation.
- The term 姐妹 (jiěmèi) is used in the phrase 姐妹花 (jiěmèi huā), which literally translates to 'sister flowers' to describe two sisters who look very similar.
Examples in context
- 你的妹妹呢？Where did your sister just go?This sentence shows how to use 妹妹 to ask about a sister's whereabouts.Tatoeba #5691647 by xjjAstrus, translation #10612053 by DaoSeng
- 我没有妹妹。I don't have a younger sister.This sentence demonstrates the use of 妹妹 to state that one does not have a younger sister.Tatoeba #13942570 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #1183190 by Vortarulo
- 我想見你姐姐。I'd like to see your sister.This sentence shows how to use 姐姐 to express a desire to see your sister.Tatoeba #1525706 by egg0073, translation #70382 by CK
- 姐姐，你好！Hello, sister!
- 妹妹，谢谢你的帮助。Thank you for your help, sister!
- 姊姊，我需要你的建议。Sister, I need your advice.
- 姐，你想一起去看电影吗？Sister, do you want to watch a movie together?
- 妹，你要不要一起去购物？Sister, do you want to go shopping together?
- 姊，我们快点走吧！Sister, let's hurry up and go!
- 阿姐，你在干什么？What are you doing, sister?
- 165 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen is showing a photo of her siblings to Junjie.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们是姐妹。Wǒmen shì jiěmèi.We are sisters.
- 俊杰 Junjie你们长得很像。Nǐmen zhǎng de hěn xiàng.You look very much alike.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen是的，我姐妹俩关系很好。Shì de, wǒ jiěmèi liǎ guānxì hěn hǎo.Yes, my sister and I get along very well.
- 俊杰 Junjie那真是太好了。Nà zhēnshì tài hǎole.That is really great.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries 姐妹, 姐姐, 妹妹, 大姊, 小妹, 姊妹, 阿姊, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
