Meaning of 小姐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- young lady
- miss
- (slang) prostitute
Measure word: 個|个,位
How to use 小姐
小姐 is used after a surname as a polite title, like Miss in English, for example 王小姐 (Wáng xiǎojiě) Miss Wang. It can also mean a young unmarried woman in general. 李小姐是我的同事。(Lǐ xiǎojiě shì wǒ de tóngshì.) Miss Li is my colleague.
小 (xiǎo) means small or young, and 姐 (jiě) means older sister, so a 小姐 is a young lady you might politely treat like a younger version of an older sister. The 女 on the left of 姐 reminds you the word refers to a woman.
Common mistake: Learners often call out 小姐 to get a waitress's attention, but in mainland China this can sound rude because of the slang meaning prostitute. Use 服务员 (fúwùyuán) or 你好 (nǐ hǎo) instead.
小姐 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.
小 xiǎo · small · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
姐 jiě · older sister · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 小姐.
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 姐姐 | jiějie | older sister |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to |
| 小学 | xiǎoxué | elementary school; primary school |
| 小孩儿 | xiǎoháir | erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2] |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | to be careful; to take care |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 小组 | xiǎozǔ | group |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction |
| 大小 | dàxiǎo | large and small; size |
| 从小 | cóngxiǎo | from childhood; from a young age |
Questions about 小姐
What does 小姐 mean?
小姐 (xiǎojiě) means "young lady; miss" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 小姐?
小姐 is made of 2 characters: 小 (3 strokes), 姐 (8 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 小姐 an HSK word?
Yes. 小姐 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you pronounce the tones in 小姐?
Both syllables are third tone, so the first one changes to a rising second tone: it sounds like xiáojie. In casual speech the second syllable is often light or neutral.
Is 小姐 still safe to use in Taiwan and Hong Kong?
Yes, in Taiwan and Hong Kong 小姐 is still a common and polite way to address women, including staff in shops and restaurants. Even in mainland China, using it after a surname, such as 张小姐 (Zhāng xiǎojiě), is perfectly polite.