Meaning of 姑娘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- girl
- young woman
- young lady
- daughter
- paternal aunt (old)
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 姑娘
姑娘 is a common, friendly way to say girl or young woman, and it can also mean someone's daughter. It sounds warm and a bit colloquial, so it is often used by older people or in everyday speech. Example: 那个姑娘很漂亮。(Nàge gūniang hěn piàoliang.) That girl is very pretty.
Both characters carry the woman radical 女 (nǚ). 姑 (gū) adds 古 (gǔ), and 娘 (niáng) adds 良 (liáng, good), so picture a good young woman in the family.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable with a full second tone, niáng, but in 姑娘 it is usually neutral: gūniang. Also do not confuse 姑娘 with 姑姑 (gūgu), which means paternal aunt in modern Chinese.
姑娘 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.
姑 gū · father's sister · 8 strokes
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娘 niáng · mother · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 姑娘.
| 新娘 | xīnniáng | bride |
| 姑姑 | gūgu | paternal aunt |
| 姑妈 | gūmā | (coll.) father's married sister; paternal aunt |
| 老板娘 | lǎobǎnniáng | female proprietor; lady boss |
| 娘娘腔 | niángniangqiāng | sissy; effeminate |
| 老娘 | lǎoniáng | my old mother; I, this old woman |
| 伴娘 | bànniáng | bridesmaid; maid of honor |
| 娘娘 | niángniang | queen; empress |
| 婆娘 | póniang | (dialect) wife; (derog.) woman |
| 新娘子 | xīnniángzi | see 新娘[xin1 niang2] |
| 娘家 | niángjiā | wife's family (before marriage) |
| 娘子 | niángzǐ | (dialect) form of address for one's wife; polite form of address for a woman |
Questions about 姑娘
What does 姑娘 mean?
姑娘 (gūniang) means "girl; young woman" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 姑娘?
姑娘 is made of 2 characters: 姑 (8 strokes), 娘 (10 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 姑娘 an HSK word?
Yes. 姑娘 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 姑娘 and 女孩 (nǚhái)?
Both can mean girl. 女孩 is more neutral and often refers to a younger child, while 姑娘 usually means a young unmarried woman and has a warmer, more colloquial feel.
Can I use 姑娘 to address a stranger?
Yes, especially in northern China, people may call a young woman 姑娘 to get her attention, often as 小姑娘 (xiǎo gūniang) for a young girl. It sounds friendly but can seem old-fashioned in big cities, where 美女 (měinǚ) or 你好 (nǐ hǎo) is also common.