A younger female sibling in the family. Younger sister, or a friendly term for a younger girl or woman. Woman (女) + 未 "not yet" = the female not yet grown up, so little sister.
Chinese family terms usually put the older sibling first, so 'sisters' is 姐妹, not 妹姐.
When meaning 'a younger sister,' 妹 is normally used as the reduplicated 妹妹, not alone.
妹 means younger sister; 姐 means older sister.
Both are family words for sisters, but they differ by age. 妹 is the younger sister, while 姐 is the older sister. In natural Chinese, 妹妹 is the common word for 'younger sister,' and 姐姐 is the common word for 'older sister.'
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | 妹 = younger sister | 姐 = older sister |
| Common word | 妹妹 | 姐姐 |
| Example | 我妹妹做晚饭。 | 我姐姐做晚饭。 |
妹 has the woman radical 女 on the left; 未 does not.
妹 and 未 share the right-side shape, but 妹 adds 女 on the left. That left part signals a female person, so 妹 means 'younger sister.' 未 alone means 'not yet' and is not used for a person.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Character | 妹 | 未 |
| Meaning | younger sister | not yet |
| Key clue | has 女 on the left | no 女 radical |
This playful rhyme helps you learn family words in Chinese. Practice saying who's who with simple questions and answers!
那个女孩儿是 我妹 。
哥哥和弟弟，姐姐和 妹妹 也是我家人，也是好朋友。
This simple story introduces you to a family and what each member likes to do. Learn helpful words for food and daily activities as you read about Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and the kids.
妹妹 做晚饭。
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