Meaning of 姐姐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- older sister
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 姐姐
姐姐 is used both to talk about your older sister and to call her directly. It is also a friendly way to address a young woman a bit older than you. Example: 我姐姐是老师。(Wǒ jiějie shì lǎoshī.) My older sister is a teacher.
The character 姐 (jiě) has 女 (nǚ, woman) on the left, which tells you it names a female family member. Saying it twice, 姐姐, is how Chinese turns many family words into warm, everyday terms, like 妈妈 (māma) and 哥哥 (gēge).
Common mistake: The second 姐 is pronounced in the neutral tone, so say jiějie, not jiějiě. Learners also mix up 姐姐 (older sister) with 妹妹 (mèimei, younger sister), so remember that 姐姐 is always older than you.
姐姐 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.
姐 jiě · older sister · 8 strokes
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姐 jiě · older sister · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 姐姐.
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | young lady; miss |
| 姐妹 | jiěmèi | sisters; siblings |
| 大姐 | dàjiě | big sister; elder sister |
| 兄弟姐妹 | xiōngdìjiěmèi | brothers and sisters; siblings |
| 姐夫 | jiěfu | (coll.) older sister's husband |
| 表姐 | biǎojiě | older female cousin through a female relative |
| 学姐 | xuéjiě | senior or older female schoolmate |
| 空姐 | kōngjiě | abbr. for 空中小姐; stewardess |
| 师姐 | shījiě | senior female fellow student or apprentice; daughter (older than oneself) of one's teacher |
| 空中小姐 | kōngzhōngxiǎojiě | stewardess; air hostess |
Questions about 姐姐
What does 姐姐 mean?
姐姐 (jiějie) means "older sister" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 姐姐?
姐姐 is made of 2 characters: 姐 (8 strokes), 姐 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 姐姐 an HSK word?
Yes. 姐姐 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is there one Chinese word that just means sister?
Not in everyday speech. Chinese separates older and younger sisters, so you choose between 姐姐 (jiějie) and 妹妹 (mèimei). To talk about sisters as a group you can use 姐妹 (jiěmèi).
Can I call a woman 小姐 (xiǎojiě) instead of 姐姐?
小姐 means miss or young lady and sounds more formal. In some places it can carry a negative meaning when used to call a waitress, so many people prefer 美女 (měinǚ) or 姐姐 for a friendly tone. 姐姐 sounds warmer and suggests the woman is a little older than you.