(tài tài) - wife, Mrs., madam in Mandarin
tàitàiTraditional: 太太
Translation
wife, Mrs., madam
Word origin
A reduplication of 太 (tài). The single graph is 大 (big) with an added stroke, marking great degree; doubled as 太太 it became a respectful term for a married woman or wife.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 太 (tài: 大 big + added stroke), reduplicated
Stroke order
太
太
Examples
。
My wife is very beautiful.
，。
Mrs Wang, please sit down.
。
His wife is a doctor.
。
His wife is a doctor.
李隔壁。
Mrs Li lives next door to me.
太太 (tài tài) means wife or Mrs and is a polite or slightly formal term. It is used both as a kinship term (我太太, my wife) and as an honorific address (王太太, Mrs Wang). It is more formal than 老婆 (lǎo pó), which is informal and intimate, and less clinical than 妻子 (qī zi), which is the standard written term for wife. 太太 is especially common in Taiwan and Singapore.
Where this fits
Used in
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太太: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "太太" (wife, Mrs., madam): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 11.