姥 meaning and stroke order
Maternal grandmother; midwife
How to write 姥, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 姥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- grandma (maternal)
- governess
- old woman
How 姥 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. An older 老 woman 女; 老 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 姥
姥 puts 女 (woman) next to 老 (old), so it is an older woman, your grandma on your mother's side. 老 (lǎo) also gives the sound, so 姥 is read lǎo too.
姥 almost always appears doubled as 姥姥 (lǎolao), a warm, colloquial word for your mother's mother, used mainly in northern China. Its partner word is 姥爷 (lǎoye), maternal grandfather. Example: 我周末去姥姥家。(Wǒ zhōumò qù lǎolao jiā.) I am going to my grandma's house this weekend.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 姥姥 (lǎolao) with 奶奶 (nǎinai), but 奶奶 is your father's mother and 姥姥 is your mother's mother. Also remember that the second 姥 in 姥姥 is said in the neutral tone: lǎolao, not lǎo lǎo.
Common words with 姥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
姥 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 姥
How many strokes are in 姥?
姥 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 姥 mean?
姥 (lǎo) means maternal grandmother; midwife. A common word with it is 姥姥 (lǎolao), meaning "(coll.) mother's mother; maternal grandmother".
How do you pronounce 姥?
姥 is pronounced lǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 姥?
The radical of 姥 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 姥 under this radical.
Is 姥 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 姥 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 姥姥 and 外婆?
Both mean maternal grandmother. 姥姥 (lǎolao) is more common in northern China, while 外婆 (wàipó) is more common in the south and is also widely understood everywhere.
When is 姥 read mǔ instead of lǎo?
The reading mǔ is old and literary, meaning an old woman or a governess. You will mostly see it in classical texts or names, so in everyday speech you can read 姥 as lǎo.