姐妹
/t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯⁵¹/
The English phrase "sisters" is translated into Chinese as 姐妹.
姐妹 is used to refer to biological sisters or to close female friends who feel like sisters.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 姐, meaning elder sister and 妹, meaning younger sister.
Which one should you use?
To say "siblings" (brothers and sisters), use the compound term 兄弟姐妹 instead of just 姐妹.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, "sisters" is commonly referred to as 姊妹.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA for 姐妹 is /tɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯⁵¹/.
Did you know?
- In certain informal contexts or online slang, women may use 姐妹 in a way similar to 'girl' or 'sis' to address a stranger in a friendly or supportive manner.
- In traditional Chinese family hierarchy, the elder sister 姐 may historically have held a position of authority over younger siblings that is more pronounced than in modern Western cultures.
- The character 姐 contains the 'woman' radical 女, which is a common feature in most Chinese words describing female family members.
Examples in context
- 我没有姐妹。I don't have any sisters.This sentence is useful for stating that you do not have any sisters using 姐妹.Tatoeba #2174231 by sadhen, translation #249753 by CK
- 你有兄弟姐妹吗？Do you have any brothers or sisters?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has any brothers or sisters using 姐妹.Tatoeba #3365893 by go_oo, translation #953192 by CK
- 我认识汤姆的两姐妹。I know both of Tom's sisters.This sentence is useful for mentioning two sisters belonging to someone using 姐妹.Tatoeba #13143717 by maina, translation #6348766 by CK
- 我有两个姐妹。I have two sisters.
- 三个姐妹一起去旅行。Three sisters are traveling together.
- 姐姐们，我要请你们吃饭。Sisters, I want to treat you to a meal.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a coffee shop, discussing family.
- 浩然 Haoran你有姐妹吗？Nǐ yǒu jiěmèi ma?Do you have sisters?
- 雨婷 Yuting我有一个姐姐和两个妹妹。Wǒ yǒu yígè jiějie hé liǎng gè mèimei.I have one older sister and two younger sisters.
- 浩然 Haoran原来雨婷你有这么多姐妹。Yuánlái Yǔtíng nǐ yǒu zhème duō jiěmèi.So, Yuting, you have so many sisters.
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，我们感情很好。Shì de, wǒmen gǎnqíng hěn hǎo.Yes, we get along very well.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 姐妹, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
