姨 meaning and stroke order
Mother's sister; aunt
How to write 姨, 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 姨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mother's sister
- aunt
How 姨 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 夷 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 姨
姨 (yí) is a woman 女 on the left with 夷 (yí) on the right giving the sound. Picture the woman in your family whose name sounds like yí: your mother's sister.
姨 is the specific word for your mother's sister, and it appears in family terms like 姨妈 (yímā) and 姨父 (yífu). The very common 阿姨 (āyí) is also a polite way to address any woman around your mother's age, including a neighbor, a shop worker or a nanny. Example: 阿姨，您好。(Āyí, nín hǎo.) Hello, auntie.
Common mistake: Learners often use 姨 for any aunt, but your father's sister is 姑 (gū) or 姑姑 (gūgu), not 姨. Also keep the second tone yí, and do not write the right side as 夫 or 弟, since 夷 has its own distinct shape with a bow-like middle.
Common words with 姨
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 阿姨 | āyí | maternal aunt; term of address for a woman of one's mother's generation | HSK 4 |
| 姨妈 | yímā | (coll.) mother's sister; maternal aunt | |
| 大姨妈 | dàyímā | mother's eldest sister (older than one's mother); (coll.) (euphemism) Aunt Flo (i.e. menst | |
| 姨婆 | yípó | (strictly speaking) sister of one's maternal grandmother; (more broadly) grandaunt; sister | |
| 小姨子 | xiǎoyízi | (coll.) wife's younger sister; sister-in-law (term not used to directly address her) | |
| 姨父 | yífu | husband of mother's sister; uncle | |
| 姨母 | yímǔ | mother's sister; maternal aunt |
姨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 姨
How many strokes are in 姨?
姨 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 姨 mean?
姨 (yí) means mother's sister; aunt. A common word with it is 阿姨 (āyí), meaning "maternal aunt; term of address for a woman of one's mother's generation".
How do you pronounce 姨?
姨 is pronounced yí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 姨?
The radical of 姨 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 姨 under this radical.
Is 姨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 姨 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 大姨妈 sometimes mean a period?
Literally 大姨妈 (dàyímā) is your mother's eldest sister, but in casual speech it is a common euphemism for menstruation, like Aunt Flo in English. Context makes it clear which meaning is intended, so be careful using it jokingly.
Can I call a young woman 阿姨?
It is best not to. 阿姨 suggests someone of your parents' generation, so a young woman might feel you are calling her old. For women close to your age, 小姐姐 (xiǎo jiějie) or simply 你好 is safer.