A Guide to Saying Aunt in Chinese

There are many terms for aunt in Chinese depending on whether the aunt is on the mothers side, fathers side, the eldest aunt, or the youngest aunt. Also, each region in China has its own way of saying aunt. Across the board, the most common term for aunt in Chinese is  Ã©Ëœ ¿Ã¥ § ¨ (Ä  yà ­). Pronunciation   The Chinese term for aunt or auntie is composed of two characters: é˜ ¿Ã¥ § ¨. The pinyin for the first character é˜ ¿ is Ä . Thus, é˜ ¿ is pronounced in the 1st tone. The pinyin for the second character Ã¥ § ¨ is yà ­. That means Ã¥ § ¨ is pronounced in the 2nd tone. In terms of  tones,  Ã©Ëœ ¿Ã¥ § ¨ can also be referred to as a1 yi2. Term Use é˜ ¿Ã¥ § ¨ (Ä  yà ­) is a general term that can be used to refer to  a family member, but it can also refer to people outside of the family. While it is considered polite to formally address female acquaintances as Miss or Mrs. in America, Chinese culture errs on the more familiar side. When addressing friends of parents, parents of friends, or elder females acquaintances in general, it is common to call them é˜ ¿Ã¥ § ¨ (Ä  yà ­).  In that way, this term is akin in auntie in English. Different Family Members As mentioned earlier, there are many ways to say aunt in Chinese depending on many factors. Here is a short breakdown of different terms for aunt in Mandarin Chinese. Ã¥ §â€˜Ã¥ §â€˜ (gÃ… «gu):  fathers sisterÃ¥ © ¶Ã¥ © ¶ (shÄ›nshen):  fathers brothers wifeÃ¥ § ¨Ã¥ ª ½ (traditional) /  Ã¥ § ¨Ã¥ ¦Ë† (simplified) (yà ­mÄ ):  mothers sister舅å ª ½ (traditional) /  Ã¨Ë†â€¦Ã¥ ¦Ë† (simplified) (jià ¹mÄ ):  mothers brothers wife Sentence Examples Using  Ã„€yà ­ Ä€yà ­ là ¡i le!é˜ ¿Ã¥ § ¨Ã¤ ¾â€ Ã¤ ºâ€ ! (traditional Chinese)é˜ ¿Ã¥ § ¨Ã¦  ¥Ã¤ ºâ€ ! (simplified Chinese)Auntie is here! TÄ  shà ¬ bà ¹shà ¬ nÇ  de Ä yà ­?Ã¥ ¥ ¹Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã¤ ¸ Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã¤ ½  Ã§Å¡â€žÃ©Ëœ ¿Ã¥ § ¨(both traditional and simplified Chinese)Is she your aunt? Ä€yà ­ hÇŽo!é˜ ¿Ã¥ § ¨Ã¥ ¥ ½! (both traditional and simplified Chinese)Hi, Auntie!