mother's sister

HSK 6

Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

The character '' specifically refers to a maternal aunt, that is, your mother's sister. It is a kinship term used in family contexts and is often combined with other words like '' (aunt) or '' (aunt's husband).

Common Collocations

  • (yímā): maternal aunt, commonly used in everyday speech.
  • (yífu): husband of the maternal aunt.
  • 一起 (gēn yí yīqǐ): with aunt, often used when describing activities with the aunt.

Usage Notes

When you say '', it implies a close family relationship on the mother's side. It is polite and neutral in tone. Avoid confusing '' with '' which refers to the father's sister. In conversation, '' is more common than just '' alone.

Summary

Use '' when talking about your mother's sister or referring to her in family stories. It is a key word for describing maternal relatives and is essential for clear family relationship descriptions.

Example Sentences

我姨妈今天来我们家做客。

Wǒ yímā jīntiān lái wǒmen jiā zuòkè.

My aunt (mother's sister) is visiting our home today.

姨夫是我姨妈的丈夫。

Yífu shì wǒ yímā de zhàngfū.

Uncle (husband of mother's sister) is my aunt's husband.

小时候我常常跟姨一起玩。

Xiǎoshíhòu wǒ chángcháng gēn yí yīqǐ wán.

When I was little, I often played with my aunt.