taai3太
Jyutpingtaai3
Yaletaai
Definition
Mrs.; a polite title used before a married woman's married surname.
colloquialpeoplefamily
How it's used
Attaching this suffix to a husband's surname is the standard way to address a married woman in professional or formal social settings. It functions as a respectful title similar to the English Mrs. When speaking to someone directly, it is common to use the surname followed by 太, though using their full name or a professional title can sometimes be more appropriate depending on the relationship.
Examples
I just saw Mrs. Lee buying groceries at the supermarket.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this term for unmarried women, as it explicitly denotes marital status. It is also not used with a woman's own maiden name, but rather with the husband's surname.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
