姊妹

See also: 姉妹 and 姐妹

Chinese

	older sister	younger sister
trad. (姊妹)	姊	妹
simp. ^#(姊妹)	姊	妹
alternative forms	姉妹／姊妹

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): zǐmèi, jiěmèi

(Zhuyin): ㄗˇ ㄇㄟˋ, ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄇㄟˋ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): zi³ mei⁴

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): зымый (zɨmɨy, II-0) / зымый (zɨmɨy, II-I)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): zi² mui⁶ / zi² mui^6-2

(Taishan, Wiktionary): dei² moi⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): chí-moi

(Hailu, HRS): zi^ˊ moi^ˇ

(Meixian, Guangdong): zi³ moi⁴
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): chí-bē / chí-bēr / chí-mōe / chí-māi / chí-moāi / chí-běr

(Teochew, Peng'im): zi² muê⁷
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵tsy-me
Xiang (Hengyang, Wiktionary): zr³ mei

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, literary, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zǐmèi
  - Zhuyin: ㄗˇ ㄇㄟˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: zǐhmèi
  - Wade–Giles: tzŭ³-mei⁴
  - Yale: dž-mèi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyymey
  - Palladius: цзымэй (czymɛj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese, vernacular, standard in Taiwan, variant in Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: jiěmèi
  - Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄇㄟˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jiěmèi
  - Wade–Giles: chieh³-mei⁴
  - Yale: jyě-mèi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jieemey
  - Palladius: цземэй (czemɛj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ meɪ̯⁵¹/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: zi³ mei⁴
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: zmei
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵³ mei²¹³/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: зымый (zɨmɨy, II-0) / зымый (zɨmɨy, II-I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹ mei⁰/, /t͡sz̩⁵¹ mei²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zi² mui⁶ / zi² mui^6-2
  - Yale: jí muih / jí múi
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzi² mui⁶ / dzi² mui^6-2
  - Guangdong Romanization: ji² mui⁶ / ji² mui^6-2
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː³⁵ muːi̯²²/, /t͡siː³⁵ muːi̯²²⁻³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: dei² moi⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tei⁵⁵ ᵐbᵘɔi²¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chí-moi
  - Hakka Romanization System: ji^ˋ moi
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ji³ moi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡si³¹ moi̯⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: zi^ˊ moi^ˇ
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡si²⁴⁻³³ moi¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: zi³ moi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sz̩³¹ moɪ⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Taipei, Magong, Philippines, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chí-bē
  - Tâi-lô: tsí-bē
  - Phofsit Daibuun: cy'be
  - IPA (Xiamen): /t͡si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be³³/
  - IPA (Singapore): /t͡si⁴²⁻²⁴ be²²/
  - IPA (Philippines): /t͡si⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ be⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Sanxia, Kinmen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chí-bēr
  - Tâi-lô: tsí-bēr
  - IPA (Kinmen): /t͡si⁵³⁻²⁴ bə²²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡si⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ bə⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Taichung, Yilan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chí-mōe
  - Tâi-lô: tsí-muē
  - Phofsit Daibuun: cymoe
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡si⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ muẽ³³/
  - IPA (Yilan): /t͡si⁵³⁻⁵⁵ muẽ³³/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Tainan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chí-māi
  - Tâi-lô: tsí-māi
  - Phofsit Daibuun: cymai
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ mãi²²/
  - IPA (Tainan): /t͡si⁵³⁻⁵⁵ mãi³³/
- (Hokkien: Tainan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chí-moāi
  - Tâi-lô: tsí-muāi
  - Phofsit Daibuun: cymoai
  - IPA (Tainan): /t͡si⁵³⁻⁵⁵ muãi³³/
- (Hokkien: Lukang)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chí-běr
  - Tâi-lô: tsí-běr
  - IPA (Lukang): /t͡si⁵⁵⁻³⁵ bə³³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: zi² muê⁷
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsí muē
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡si⁵²⁻³⁵ mue¹¹/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁵tsy-me
  - MiniDict: tsy^去 me
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²tsr-me
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sz̩³³ me⁴⁴/
Xiang
- (Hengyang)
  - Wiktionary: zr³ mei
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩³³ mei̯³/

Noun

姊妹

elder sister and younger sister; sisters
sister (close female friend)
sister (fellow female member of a religion) (Classifier: 個／个 m c; 位 m c)
(literary or dialectal) brothers and sisters
(dialectal) younger sister
(Cantonese) bridesmaid

Usage notes

姐姐 (jiějie, “elder sister”) and 妹妹 (mèimei, “younger sister”) are the usual nouns for referring to one's sister.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 姐妹 (“sisters”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		姐妹, 姊妹
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	姐兒
	Taiwan	姐妹
	Singapore	姐妹
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	姊妹
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	姊妹
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	姊妹
	Wuhan	姊妹
	Guilin	姊妹
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	姊妹
Jianghuai Mandarin	Hefei	姊妹
Cantonese	Guangzhou	姊妹
	Hong Kong	姊妹
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	姊妹
	Macau	姊妹
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	姊妹
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	姐妹
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	姊妹
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	姊妹
	Foshan	姊妹
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	姊妹
	Foshan (Shunde)	姊妹
	Foshan (Sanshui)	姊妹
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	姊妹
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	姊妹
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	姊妹
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	姐妹
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	姊妹
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	姊妹
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	姊妹
	Taishan	姊妹
	Kaiping (Chikan)	姊妹
	Enping (Niujiang)	姊妹
	Heshan (Yayao)	姊妹
	Dongguan	姊妹
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	姊妹
	Yangjiang	姊妹
	Singapore (Guangfu)	姊妹
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	姊妹
Gan	Nanchang	姊妹
Hakka	Meixian	姊妹
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	姊妹
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	姊妹
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	姊妹
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	姊妹
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	姊妹
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	姊妹
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	姊妹
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	姊妹
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	姊妹
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	姊妹
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	姊妹
Jin	Taiyuan	姊妹
Northern Min	Jian'ou	姊妹
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	姐妹
Southern Min	Xiamen	姊妹, 姊妹仔
	Quanzhou	姊妹, 姊妹仔
	Jinjiang	姊妹仔
	Zhangzhou	姊妹, 姊妹仔
	Taipei	姊妹
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	姊妹
	Kaohsiung	姊妹
	Yilan	姊妹
	Changhua (Lukang)	姊妹
	Taichung	姊妹
	Tainan	姊妹
	Hsinchu	姊妹仔
	Kinmen	姊妹
	Penghu (Magong)	姊妹
	Singapore (Hokkien)	姊妹
	Chaozhou	姊妹, 姐妹
	Singapore (Teochew)	姐妹
	Wenchang	姊妹
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	姊妹
Wu	Shanghai	姊妹
	Suzhou	姊妹
	Ningbo	姊妹
	Wenzhou	姊妹
Xiang	Changsha	姊妹
	Shuangfeng	姊妹
	Hengyang	姊妹

Dialectal synonyms of 妹妹 (“younger sister”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		妹, 女弟
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		妹妹
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	妹妹
	Taiwan	妹妹
	Ulanhot	老妹兒
	Tongliao	老妹兒
	Chifeng	妹妹
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	老妹兒
	Harbin	妹妹, 妹子
	Shenyang	妹妹
	Malaysia	妹妹
	Singapore	妹妹
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	妹妹
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	妹
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	妹
	Wanrong	妹子
	Zhengzhou	妹妹
	Xi'an	妹子, 妹妹
	Xining	妹子
	Xuzhou	妹妹
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	妹妹
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	妹妹
	Bayanhot	妹妹
	Lanzhou	妹妹
	Ürümqi	妹妹
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	妹兒, 妹妹, 妹
	Wuhan	妹妹
	Guiyang	妹
	Kunming	妹子, 妹妹
	Liuzhou	妹子, 妹, 老妹
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	妹妹, 妹子
	Yangzhou	妹妹
	Nantong	妹子, 妹妹
	Hefei	妹妹
	Huanggang	妹兒
Cantonese	Guangzhou	妹妹, 細妹, 阿妹, 妹
	Hong Kong	妹妹, 細妹, 阿妹, 妹
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	阿妹
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	妹
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	阿妹
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	阿妹
	Macau	妹
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	細妹, 阿妹
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	妹
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	妹
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	阿妹
	Foshan	細妹, 妹
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	阿妹
	Foshan (Shunde)	妹
	Foshan (Sanshui)	妹
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	妹子
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	妹
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	妹
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	阿妹
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	阿妹
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	阿妹
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	阿妹
	Taishan	阿妹
	Kaiping (Chikan)	阿妹
	Enping (Niujiang)	阿妹
	Heshan (Yayao)	妹
	Dongguan	妹
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	妹
	Shaoguan	阿妹
	Yunfu	阿妹
	Yangjiang	小妹
	Xinyi	老妹
	Lianjiang	老妹, 阿妹
	Danzhou	老姑
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	阿妹
	Singapore (Guangfu)	細妹, 阿妹, 妹
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	細妹
Gan	Nanchang	妹子
	Lichuan	妹
	Pingxiang	老妹, 妹老子
Hakka	Meixian	老妹, 老妹仔
	Xingning	老妹
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	老妹
	Huiyang	老妹
	Huidong (Daling)	老妹
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	老妹
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	老妹
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	老妹
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	老妹
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	老妹
	Wuhua (Changbu)	老妹
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	老妹
	Wuhua (Meilin)	老妹
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	老妹
	Wengyuan	老妹
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	老妹
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	老妹
	Liannan	老妹
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	老妹
	Jiexi	老妹
	Luhe	老妹
	Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)	阿妹
	Changting	老妹
	Wuping	老妹
	Wuping (Yanqian)	老妹子
	Wuping (Pingyu)	老妹
	Liancheng	老妹
	Ninghua	老妹
	Yudu	妹子
	Ningdu	妹
	Ruijin	老妹
	Shicheng	老妹, 妹
	Shangyou (Shexi)	老妹
	Tonggu (Sandu)	老妹
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	老妹
	Dayu	妹佬
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	老妹
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	老妹
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	老妹
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	老妹
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	老妹
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	阿妹
	Hong Kong	老妹
	Yangxi (Tangkou)	老妹
	Yangchun (Sanjia)	老妹
	Xinyi (Sihe)	老妹
	Xinyi (Qianpai)	老妹
	Gaozhou (Xindong)	老妹
	Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai)	老妹
	Huazhou (Xin'an)	老妹
	Lianjiang (Shijiao)	老妹
	Lianjiang (Qingping)	老妹
	Mengshan (Xihe)	老妹
	Luchuan	老妹
	Sabah (Bao'an)	老妹
	Sabah (Longchuan)	老妹
	Senai (Huiyang)	老妹
	Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo)	老妹
	Singkawang	阿妹, 老妹
Huizhou	Jixi	妹
	Shexian	妹妹, 女妹
	Huangshan (Tunxi)	令妹兒
	Xiuning	令妹, 令妹兒
	Yixian	奶妹兒
	Qimen	妹吶
	Wuyuan	女妹仂, 女妹, 妹
	Fuliang	小妹, 妹哩
	Dexing	妹子
Jin	Taiyuan	妹妹
	Pingyao	妹妹, 妹子
	Xinzhou	姊妹
	Taibus (Baochang)	妹妹
	Linhe	妹妹
	Jining	妹妹
	Hohhot	妹妹
	Baotou	妹妹
	Dongsheng	妹妹
	Haibowan	妹妹
Northern Min	Jian'ou	妹仔
	Jian'ou (Dikou)	妹仔
	Songxi	妹仔
	Zhenghe	妹
	Zhenghe (Zhenqian)	妹
	Jianyang	妹仔
	Wuyishan	妹仔
	Pucheng (Shibei)	妹仔
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	依妹, 妹
	Fuzhou (Changle)	依妹
	Fuqing	阿妹
	Yongtai	依妹
	Gutian	妹
	Fu'an	妹
	Ningde	妹
	Shouning	姊妹
	Zhouning	阿妹
	Fuding	阿妹
	Matsu	依妹
Southern Min	Xiamen	小妹, 阿妹 face-to-face
	Quanzhou	小妹, 阿妹 face-to-face
	Zhangzhou	小妹, 阿妹 face-to-face
	Zhao'an	細妹子
	Taipei	小妹
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	小妹
	Kaohsiung	小妹
	Tainan	小妹
	Kinmen	小妹
	Penghu (Magong)	小妹
	Penang (Hokkien)	小妹
	Singapore (Hokkien)	小妹, 阿妹 face-to-face
	Manila (Hokkien)	小妹
	Chaozhou	阿妹
	Shantou	妹
	Jieyang	阿妹
	Haifeng	妹, 妹妹, 阿妹
	Bangkok (Teochew)	阿妹
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	阿妹
	Singapore (Teochew)	阿妹
	Leizhou	尼妹, 妹
	Wenchang	姑𡠤 of a male, 姨𡠤 of a female
	Haikou	姑𡠤 of a male, 姨𡠤 of a female
Puxian Min	Putian	阿妹
Puxian Min	Xianyou	阿妹, 小妹
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	妹
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	妹
Shehua	Fu'an	妹
	Fuding	阿妹
	Luoyuan	妹
	Sanming	妹
	Shunchang	阿妹
	Hua'an	妹
	Guixi (Zhangping)	妹
	Cangnan	妹
	Jingning (Hexi)	妹
	Lishui	妹
	Longyou	妹
	Chaozhou	妹
	Fengshun	妹
Wu	Shanghai	阿妹, 妹妹, 姊妹
	Shanghai (Chongming)	姊妹
	Suzhou	妹子, 妹妹
	Wuxi	妹子, 妹妹
	Danyang	妹子
	Hangzhou	阿妹, 妹妹
	Ningbo	阿妹, 妹妹
	Wenzhou	阿妹
	Jinhua	妹, 妹妹
Xiang	Changsha	老妹, 妹妹
	Xiangtan	老妹
	Loudi	妹妹
	Shuangfeng	妹妹
	Hengyang	妹妹

Dialectal synonyms of 兄弟姐妹 (“siblings; brothers and sisters”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		兄弟姐妹, 兄弟姊妹
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	兄弟姐妹
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	姊妹
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	姊妹
Central Plains Mandarin	Wanrong	姊妹
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	姊妹
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	姊妹
Lanyin Mandarin	Lanzhou	姊妹
Southwestern Mandarin	Liuzhou	姊妹
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	姊妹
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	姊妹每
Cantonese	Hong Kong	兄弟姊妹
Cantonese	Taishan	兄弟姊妹
Gan	Nanchang	兄弟姊妹
	Lichuan	姊妹
	Pingxiang	姊妹
Hakka	Meixian	姊妹
	Yudu	姊妹
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	姊妹
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	姊妹
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	姊妹
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	姊妹
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	姊妹
	Miaoli (Zhuolan; Raoping)	姊妹
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	姊妹
	Hong Kong	姊妹
Jin	Taiyuan	姐妹
Jin	Xinzhou	弟妹子
Wu	Suzhou	姊妹
	Danyang	姊姊妹妹
	Ningbo	姊妹
	Jinhua	哥弟姊妹

Dialectal synonyms of 伴娘 (“bridesmaid”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		伴娘
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	伴娘
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	女儐相
Central Plains Mandarin	Xining	女儐相
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	伴媽, 伴娘
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	伴娘
Cantonese	Guangzhou	姊妹
	Hong Kong	伴娘, 姊妹
	Dongguan	伴娘, 陪嫁娘
Gan	Nanchang	伴娘
Jin	Taiyuan	伴娘
Northern Min	Jian'ou	伴嫁奶
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	新人伴
Southern Min	Xiamen	新娘伴, 新娘替, 伴嫁
	Quanzhou	新儂伴, 新儂替
	Zhangzhou	新娘伴
	Taipei	送嫁, 新娘牚
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	伴嫁
	Kaohsiung	伴嫁
	Yilan	伴娘
	Changhua (Lukang)	伴行
	Taichung	伴嫁
	Tainan	伴嫁
	Hsinchu	伴嫁
	Kinmen	伴嫁
	Penghu (Magong)	伴嫁
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	伴郎妹
Wu	Shanghai	伴娘, 伴姑娘, 喜娘
Wu	Jinhua	陪堂姑娘
Xiang	Changsha	伴媽, 伴婆

Derived terms

兄弟姊妹 (xiōngdì zǐmèi)
十姊妹 (shízǐmèi)
堂姊妹
姊妹城 (zǐmèichéng)
姊妹城市 (zǐmèi chéngshì)
妻姊妹婚
姊妹市 (zǐmèishì)
姊妹校
姊妹盟
姊妹行
手帕姊妹
胞姊妹
表姊妹
香火姊妹