ji4 maa1姨媽姨妈
Jyutpingji4 maa1
Yaleyìh mā
Definition
Maternal aunt; a mother's elder sister.
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to the mother's elder sister, distinguishing her from the mother's younger sister, who is called 阿姨. In traditional Chinese family structures, these distinctions are strictly maintained to clarify seniority and social hierarchy. It is common to add the prefix 阿 to make the address more affectionate, as in 阿姨媽.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
I will go to my aunt's house for dinner tomorrow.
Does your aunt live in Sham Shui Po?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this term to address any woman older than you, as it is strictly a kinship term. Using it for a stranger will sound confusing or overly familiar.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
