Meaning of 小姨 in Chinese Families | Generated by AI
Question: What does “小姨” mean in China?
Answer:
In China, 小姨 (xiǎo yí) literally means “little aunt” and refers to:
- Your mother’s younger sister (the younger sister of your mom).
This is the most common and standard meaning in everyday Chinese.
Quick comparison of mother’s sisters in Chinese:
- 大姨 (dà yí) = mother’s older sister
- 小姨 (xiǎo yí) = mother’s younger sister
- 姨 (yí) or 姨妈 (yí mā) = general term for mother’s sister (age not specified)
Important notes:
- 小姨 is only used for the mother’s side.
Father’s sisters are called 姑姑 (gū gu) or 姑妈 (gū mā). - In many families, people also use 小姨 as a very affectionate, close term even if the age difference is not huge — it’s warmer and more intimate than just calling her “姨妈”.
- In some regions or families, young people sometimes jokingly or affectionately call their mother’s close female friend/cousin 小姨 too, but this is not the formal meaning.
So in most situations in China when someone says “这是我小姨” (zhè shì wǒ xiǎo yí), it means:
“This is my mom’s younger sister.”
References:
- None (common knowledge in Mandarin Chinese kinship terms)