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HSK 2

姐姐

older sister

nounneutral
姐
jiě3rd tone
姐
jieneutral tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
jiějie
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
16
Register
neutral
Measure word
个 / 位

Stroke order for 姐姐

姐姐 is written with 16 strokes (姐: 8, 姐: 8). The animation replays automatically.

What does 姐姐 mean?

姐姐 (jiějie) means 'older sister' — specifically a sister who is older than the speaker.

Chinese kinship terms are precise: there is no single word for 'sister.' You must specify older (姐姐) or younger (妹妹). The second syllable is usually pronounced in the neutral tone (jiějie), though jiějiě is acceptable in careful speech.

Beyond family, 姐姐 is a friendly form of address for women who look slightly older than you — a customer might call a waitress 姐 or 姐姐, and young women online use it to greet female influencers. Children often address slightly older girls as 姐姐 even when not related. The single character 姐 alone is a casual short form ('sis').

Note: Standard everyday word. Also used affectionately to address slightly older female friends or strangers (waitresses, shop staff) who appear close in age.

Character by character

姐jiěolder sister
+
姐jieolder sister (reduplicated, neutral tone)
=
姐姐

Memory hook: Reduplicated like 妈妈 (māma) and 哥哥 (gēge) — Chinese family terms double the character to make them feel warm and familial.

Example sentences

我姐姐今年二十岁。

Wǒ jiějie jīnnián èrshí suì.

My older sister is twenty this year.

neutral

我有一个姐姐和一个弟弟。

Wǒ yǒu yí ge jiějie hé yí ge dìdi.

I have one older sister and one younger brother.

neutral

姐姐，这个多少钱？

Jiějie, zhè ge duōshao qián?

Excuse me (miss), how much is this?

spoken, polite to a slightly older shop assistant

她是我姐姐的朋友。

Tā shì wǒ jiějie de péngyou.

She's my older sister's friend.

neutral

Common phrases with 姐姐

大姐dàjiěeldest sister; also a friendly term for an older woman
二姐èrjiěsecond oldest sister
姐姐妹妹jiějie mèimeisisters (older and younger together)
亲姐姐qīn jiějiebiological older sister (vs. cousin or step)
我姐wǒ jiěmy older sister (casual short form)

Synonyms

姐jiě

Single-character casual short form. 我姐 ('my sis') is very common in speech; 姐姐 sounds slightly more formal or childlike when used to refer to one's own sister.

大姐dàjiě

Means 'eldest sister' literally, but commonly used to politely address an unknown woman who looks older than you in shops, restaurants, or on the street.

Don't confuse 姐姐 with

妹妹mèimei

妹妹 is younger sister, 姐姐 is older sister. Chinese always specifies which one — there is no neutral word for 'sister.'

哥哥gēge

哥哥 is older brother. Same reduplicated kinship pattern as 姐姐, but for males.

阿姨āyí

阿姨 is 'auntie' — used for women roughly your mother's age. 姐姐 is for women close to your own age or a bit older.

FAQ

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