爺 meaning and stroke order
Grandfather, old man
How to write 爺, stroke by stroke
12 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 爺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- grandpa
- old gentleman
How 爺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Father.
父 gives the meaning and 耶 hints at the sound.
Radical: 父 (father), shared by 5 characters on this site.
How to remember 爺
爺 puts 父 (fù, father) on top of 耶 (yé), which gives the sound. Think of it as the father above your father, the one who sounds like yé.
爺 is the traditional form. In mainland China it is written 爷, and it appears mostly in family and respect words like 爺爺 (yéye, grandpa) and 老爺爺 (lǎoyéye, a polite way to address an elderly man). Example: 我爺爺今年八十歲。(Wǒ yéye jīnnián bāshí suì.) My grandpa is eighty this year.
Common mistake: Learners often use 爺爺 for both grandfathers, but 爺爺 means your father's father, while your mother's father is 姥爺 (lǎoye) or 外公 (wàigōng). Also note that the second syllable of 爺爺 is said in the neutral tone: yéye, not yéyé.
Common words with 爺
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爺爺 | yéye | (coll.) paternal grandfather; grandpa | HSK 1 |
| 大爺 | dàye | arrogant idler; self-centered show-off | HSK 4 |
| 姥爺 | lǎoye | (coll.) mother's father; maternal grandfather | HSK 7-9 |
| 老爺 | lǎoye | (respectful) lord; master | |
| 老天爺 | lǎotiānyé | God; Heavens | |
| 少爺 | shàoye | son of the boss; young master of the house | |
| 王爺 | wángye | prince; marquis | |
| 老爺爺 | lǎoyéye | (polite) elderly man | |
| 爺們 | yémen | menfolk (collective term for men of different generations); husbands and their fathers etc | |
| 老爺子 | lǎoyézi | my (your etc) old father; polite appellation for an elderly male | |
| 師爺 | shīyé | (historical) privately hired legal or administrative advisor to a government official; tea | |
| 老爺車 | lǎoyechē | classic car | |
| 爺們兒 | yémenr | erhua variant of 爺們|爷们[ye2 men5] |
Questions about 爺
How many strokes are in 爺?
爺 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 爺 mean?
爺 (yé) means grandfather, old man. A common word with it is 爷爷 (yéye), meaning "(coll.) paternal grandfather; grandpa".
How do you pronounce 爺?
爺 is pronounced yé, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 爺?
The radical of 爺 is 父, which carries the idea of "father". Dictionaries list 爺 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 爺?
爺 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 爷, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Does 大爺 (dàye) always mean an arrogant person?
No. In northern China 大爺 (dàye) is a common, friendly way to address an older man, a bit like calling him uncle. The meaning of a self-centered show-off comes from context, as in 你以为你是大爺啊 (Who do you think you are).
What does 老天爺 (lǎotiānyé) mean in everyday speech?
It refers to Heaven or the gods as a kind of grandfather figure above. People often use it as an exclamation of surprise or frustration, much like saying Good heavens or Oh my God in English.