阿姨

ā

Traditional: 阿姨

#1977 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

aunt, auntie, nanny, female domestic helper

Word origin

A compound of 阿 (ā), a familiar prefix used before kinship terms, and 姨 (yí, maternal aunt), giving an affectionate word for an aunt or older woman.

Origin
compound
Root
阿 (ā, familiar prefix) + 姨 (yí, maternal aunt)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 阿

Stroke order for 姨

Examples

This auntie is my mother's younger sister.

The children all like the auntie next door.

sǎo

Our family hired a helper to do the cleaning.

Excuse me, madam, where is the toilet?

yòuwēnróu

The nursery helper is very gentle with the children.

阿姨 (ā yí) means aunt or auntie, and is also used politely to address an unrelated middle-aged woman or to refer to a nanny or domestic helper. It is one of the most common everyday forms of address in China.

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This word is part of lesson 40.