大妈 meaning in English
father's elder brother's wife; aunt (affectionate term for an elderly woman)
Meaning of 大妈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- father's elder brother's wife
- aunt (affectionate term for an elderly woman)
How to use 大妈
In daily life 大妈 is a friendly way to address or describe a middle-aged or older woman you do not know, like a neighbor or a street vendor. In family terms it can also mean the wife of your father's older brother. Example: 大妈，请问地铁站在哪儿？(Dàmā, qǐngwèn dìtiězhàn zài nǎr?) Auntie, excuse me, where is the subway station?
大 (dà) means big or older, and 妈 (mā) means mom. A 大妈 is a "big mom": an older woman you treat with the warmth you would give your own mother's generation.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes call a young woman 大妈, which can sound rude because it suggests she looks old. For women around your own age or a bit older, 阿姨 (āyí) or 姐 (jiě) is safer. Also keep 妈 in the first tone, mā, not the neutral tone it has in 妈妈 (māma).
大妈 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
大 dà · big · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
妈 mā · ma · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 大妈.
| 妈妈 | māma | mama; mommy |
| 大学 | dàxué | university; college |
| 大学生 | dàxuéshēng | university student; college student |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone; influential family |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup |
| 长大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
| 大声 | dà shēng | loud voice; in a loud voice |
| 大量 | dàliàng | great amount; large quantity |
| 大多数 | dàduōshù | (great) majority |
| 大海 | dàhǎi | sea; ocean |
Questions about 大妈
What does 大妈 mean?
大妈 (dàmā) means "father's elder brother's wife; aunt (affectionate term for an elderly woman)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 大妈?
大妈 is made of 2 characters: 大 (3 strokes), 妈 (6 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 大妈 an HSK word?
Yes. 大妈 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 大妈 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 大妈 is written 大媽.
What is the difference between 大妈 and 阿姨?
Both can mean auntie for an older woman. 阿姨 (āyí) is more neutral and polite and works for a wider age range. 大妈 sounds more folksy and is usually used for women who are clearly older, often in northern China.
What does 中国大妈 mean?
中国大妈 (Zhōngguó dàmā) is a media term for middle-aged Chinese women as a group, often linked to square dancing or bulk shopping. It can be affectionate or slightly teasing depending on context.