aa3 ji4亞姨亚姨
Jyutpingaa3 ji4
Yalea yìh
Definition
Aunt; auntie.
- maternal aunt; mother's sister
- an affectionate term of address for a woman of one's mother's generation
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to the mother's sister, distinguishing it from 亞姑, which refers to the father's sister. While often used as a polite term of address for older women in the community, using it for a stranger can sometimes imply they are significantly older than the speaker. It is a warm, familial term that carries more intimacy than formal titles.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 亞姨 with 亞姑, but they are never interchangeable because the distinction between maternal and paternal sides is strictly maintained in Cantonese kinship terminology.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
