阿姨
auntie; nanny; form of address for older woman
āyí
What does 阿姨 mean?
阿姨 (āyí) literally means 'mother's sister' but in everyday Mandarin it is mostly used as a friendly form of address for any unrelated woman roughly your mother's age. Chinese kids greet a friend's mom, a neighbor, or the lady at the corner store as 阿姨; the word carries warmth and respect without the formality of 女士 (nǚshì).
It is also the standard word for a hired domestic helper or nanny — 'my 阿姨' usually means the woman who cleans the house or looks after the kids, not a relative. Two things surprise English speakers: first, you address her directly as 阿姨 the way English speakers might say 'ma'am'; second, choosing between 阿姨 and 姐姐 (older sister) is a quiet age judgment — getting it wrong can offend.
Note: Used both for family (mother's sister) and, more often in daily life, as a polite address for any woman roughly your mother's age — neighbors, shop owners, cleaners, nannies. Calling a much younger woman 阿姨 sounds aging; use 姐姐 (jiějie) if she might be near your own age.
Character breakdown
prefix for names and kinship terms
mother's sister; aunt
Memory hook: 阿 is a warm-sounding prefix Chinese families add to names; 姨 is mom's sister. Put them together and you get the friendly 'auntie' you call any older woman.
Measure word for 阿姨
Example sentences
阿姨好，我是小明的同学。
Āyí hǎo, wǒ shì Xiǎo Míng de tóngxué.
Hello auntie, I'm Xiao Ming's classmate.
spoken, polite
我家请了一个阿姨做饭。
Wǒ jiā qǐng le yí gè āyí zuò fàn.
We hired a nanny to cook for our family.
neutral
李阿姨在楼下等你。
Lǐ āyí zài lóu xià děng nǐ.
Auntie Li is waiting for you downstairs.
spoken
谢谢阿姨，菜很好吃。
Xièxie āyí, cài hěn hǎochī.
Thank you, auntie — the food is delicious.
spoken
Common phrases with 阿姨
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阿姨 appears in 2 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
姨妈 specifically means mother's elder sister and is strictly a family term — never used to address strangers. 阿姨 is broader and friendlier.
大妈 is for older women (60+), sometimes with a slightly blunt or rural feel. 阿姨 is the safer, more neutral middle-aged choice.
女士 ('Ms./madam') is formal and written, used in announcements, signs, and customer service. 阿姨 is warm and spoken.
Don't confuse 阿姨 with
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
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Hear 阿姨 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
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