妹

See also: 妺

妹 U+59B9, 妹 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-59B9 ← 妸 [U+59B8] CJK Unified Ideographs 妺 → [U+59BA]

Translingual

Han character

妹 (radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 女十木 (VJD), four-corner 4549₀, composition ⿰女未)

Stroke order

References

• KangXi: page 257, character 28
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6138
• Dae Jaweon: page 522, character 23
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1034, character 6
• Unihan data for U+59B9

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		妹

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 妹
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script

Characters in the same phonetic series (未) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
寐	*mids
魅	*mrɯds
鬽	*mrɯds
昧	*mɯːds
妹	*mɯːds
眛	*maːds, *mɯːds
沬	*maːds, *hmɯːds, *mɯds
未	*mɯds
味	*mɯds
鮇	*mɯds
菋	*mɯds

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *mɯːds): semantic 女 (“female, woman”) + phonetic 未 (OC *mɯds).

Etymology

Probably Sino-Tibetan. Proposed etymologies:

• STEDT relates it to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mi (“girl; female; feminine suffix”), whence Apatani nyimii (“girl; woman; female”), Proto-Loloish *C-mi² (“woman”), Proto-Karen *hmɨᴮ (“female; woman”).
• Schuessler (2007) compares it to Burmese မ (ma., “sister”) (whence အစ်မ (acma., “elder sister”), ညီမ (nyima., “younger sister”)), Miju ku-mai- (“woman”), Tibetan བུད་མེད (bud med, “woman”), and also Mizo hmei (“concubine”) (> Mizo hmei-chhia (“woman; wife”)), which STEDT relates to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-maj (“widow, widower”) instead.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): mèi (mei⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄟˋ

  (Chengdu, SP): mei⁴

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): mui⁶, mui^6-1, mui^6-2

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): moi²

• Gan (Wiktionary): mi⁵
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): moi

  (Meixian, Guangdong): moi⁴

• Jin (Wiktionary): mei³
• Min Bei (KCR): mṳē / mṳē^→mā̤
• Min Dong (BUC): muói
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): bē / bēr / māi / mōe / běr / bōe / mūi / moāi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): muê⁶

• Wu (Wiktionary): me (T3)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): mei⁵ / mei⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: mèi
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄟˋ
    • Wade–Giles: mei4
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mey
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mèi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /meɪ̯⁵¹/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: mei⁴
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: mei
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mei²¹³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: mui⁶, mui^6-1, mui^6-2
    • Yale: muih, mūi, múi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mui⁶, mui^6-1, mui^6-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: mui⁶, mui¹, mui²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /muːy̯²²/, /muːy̯²²⁻⁵⁵/, /muːy̯²²⁻³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: moi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ᵐbᵘɔi⁵⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: mi⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi¹¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: moi
    • Hakka Romanization System: moi
    • Hagfa Pinyim: moi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /moi̯⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: moi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /moɪ⁵³/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: mei³
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /mei⁴⁵/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mṳē / mṳē^→mā̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /myɛ⁵⁵/, /mɛ⁵⁵/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: muói
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mui²¹³/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Taipei, Magong, Hsinchu)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bē
    • Tâi-lô: bē
    • Phofsit Daibuun: be
    • IPA (Xiamen): /be²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /be³³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Sanxia, Kinmen, Hsinchu)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bēr
    • Tâi-lô: bēr
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /bə⁴¹/
    • IPA (Kinmen): /bə²²/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: māi
    • Tâi-lô: māi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mai
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /mãi²²/
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan, Taichung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mōe
    • Tâi-lô: muē
    • Phofsit Daibuun: moe
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /muẽ³³/
  • (Hokkien: Lukang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: běr
    • Tâi-lô: běr
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bōe
    • Tâi-lô: buē
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boe
    • IPA (Xiamen): /bue²²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mūi
    • Tâi-lô: muī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mui
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /muĩ⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: moāi
    • Tâi-lô: muāi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: moai
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /muãi²²/

Note:

• Xiamen:
  • bē - vernacular;
  • bōe - literary.
• Quanzhou:
  • bēr - vernacular;
  • mūi - literary.
• Zhangzhou:
  • māi - vernacular;
  • moāi - literary.

(Teochew)

• Peng'im: muê⁶
• Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: muĕ
• Sinological IPA ^(key): /mue³⁵/

Wu

• (Shanghainese)
  • Wiktionary: me (T3)
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /me̞²³/

Xiang

• (Changsha)
  • Wiktionary: mei⁵ / mei⁴
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /me̞i²¹/, /me̞i⁴⁵/

Note:

• mei5 - vernacular;
• mei4 - literary.

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• Middle Chinese: /muʌi^H/

Rime
Character	妹
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	灰 (42)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	莫佩切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/muʌiH/
Pan Wuyun	/muoiH/
Shao Rongfen	/muɒiH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mwəjH/
Li Rong	/muᴀiH/
Wang Li	/muɒiH/
Bernard Karlgren	/muɑ̆iH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mèi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mui6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*C.mˤə[t]-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*mɯːds/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	妹
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	mèi
Middle Chinese	‹ mwojH ›
Old Chinese	/*C.mˁə[t]-s/
English	younger sister
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	妹
Reading #	1/1
No.	12914
Phonetic component	未
Rime group	隊
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	妹
Old Chinese	/*mɯːds/

Definitions

妹

1. younger sister
2. girl; young female
3. (Hakka) daughter
4. A surname​.

Synonyms

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

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		妹, 女弟
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		妹妹
Mandarin	Beijing	妹妹
	Taiwan	妹妹
	Ulanhot	老妹兒
	Tongliao	老妹兒
	Chifeng	妹妹
	Bayanhot	妹妹
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	老妹兒
	Harbin	妹妹, 妹子
	Shenyang	妹妹
	Muping	妹
	Jinan	妹妹
	Luoyang	妹
	Wanrong	妹子
	Zhengzhou	妹妹
	Xi'an	妹子, 妹妹
	Yinchuan	妹妹
	Lanzhou	妹妹
	Xining	妹子
	Ürümqi	妹妹
	Wuhan	妹妹
	Huanggang	妹兒
	Chengdu	妹兒, 妹妹, 妹
	Guiyang	妹
	Kunming	妹子, 妹妹
	Liuzhou	妹子, 妹, 老妹
	Xuzhou	妹妹
	Yangzhou	妹妹
	Nanjing	妹妹, 妹子
	Hefei	妹妹
	Nantong	妹子, 妹妹
	Malaysia	妹妹
	Singapore	妹妹
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	妹妹
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
	Panyu	細妹, 阿妹
	Huadu (Huashan)	妹
	Conghua	妹
	Zengcheng	阿妹
	Foshan	細妹, 妹
	Nanhai (Shatou)	阿妹
	Shunde	妹
	Sanshui	妹
	Gaoming (Mingcheng)	妹子
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	妹
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	妹
	Doumen (Shangheng Tanka)	阿妹
	Doumen	阿妹
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	阿妹
	Xinhui	阿妹
	Taishan	阿妹
	Kaiping (Chikan)	阿妹
	Enping (Niujiang)	阿妹
	Heshan (Yayao)	妹
	Dongguan	妹
	Bao'an (Shajing)	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
	Qujiang	老妹
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	老妹
	Liannan	老妹
	Conghua (Lütian)	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	老妹
	Tonggu (Sandu)	老妹
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	老妹
	Dayu	妹佬
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	老妹
	Liudui (S. Sixian)	老妹
	Hsinchu (Hailu)	老妹
	Dongshi (Dabu)	老妹
	Hsinchu (Raoping)	老妹
	Yunlin (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
	Dianbai (Shalang)	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
	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
Min Bei	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
Min Dong	Fuzhou	依妹, 妹
	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
Min Nan	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
	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
	Xianyou	阿妹, 小妹
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	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	妹
	Lishui	妹
	Longyou	妹
	Chaozhou	妹
	Fengshun	妹
Wu	Shanghai	阿妹, 妹妹, 姊妹
	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
	Shuangfeng	妹妹
	Xiangtan	老妹
	Loudi	妹妹

Dialectal synonyms of 女孩子 (“girl”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		女孩, 女孩子
Mandarin	Beijing	女孩兒, 小女孩兒, 小姑娘, 小閨女, 小丫頭, 妞兒, 小妞兒
	Taiwan	女孩, 女孩子
	Weifang (Weicheng)	閨女兒, 小妮兒
	Weifang (Fangzi)	小閨女
	Weifang (Hanting)	小閨女
	Changyi	閨女, 小嫚兒
	Gaomi	小嫚兒
	Zhucheng	小閨女子兒
	Anqiu	閨女
	Changle	閨女, 妮兒
	Linqu	閨女
	Qingzhou	小閨女, 小閨妮兒
	Shouguang	妮子
	Wulian	識字班
	Jinan	小閨女兒, 小妮兒
	Kaifeng	女孩兒
	Xi'an	女子娃, 女子, 女娃子
	Wuhan	女伢, 姑娘伢
	Chengdu	女娃子, 女娃兒, 女娃娃
	Guilin	女把爺
	Guanyang	妹崽家
	Yangzhou	女霞子
	Xinghua	姑娘, 丫頭, 外家裡
	Hefei	丫頭
	Yanping	女子崽
	Singapore	女孩子
	Dagudi (Maliba)	小姑娘
	Reshuitang (Longling)	小姑娘
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	小姑娘
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	小姑娘
Cantonese	Guangzhou	女仔, 細路女 child
	Hong Kong	女仔, 細路女 child
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	女仔
	Macau	女仔
	Panyu	女仔
	Zengcheng	女仔
	Foshan	女仔
	Nanhai (Shatou)	女仔
	Shunde	女仔
	Sanshui	女仔
	Gaoming (Mingcheng)	女仔
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	女仔
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	女仔
	Doumen (Shangheng Tanka)	女仔
	Doumen	女仔
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	女仔
	Xinhui	女仔
	Taishan	女仔, 細路女 child, 細民女 child
	Kaiping (Chikan)	女仔, 細佬女 child, 細民女 child
	Enping (Niujiang)	女仔
	Heshan (Yayao)	女仔
	Dongguan	女仔
	Bao'an (Shajing)	婦娘妹
	Qingyuan	女仔
	Fogang	女仔
	Yingde (Hanguang)	女仔
	Yangshan	妹仔
	Lianshan (Butian)	妹仔兒
	Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui)	女仔
	Shaoguan	女仔
	Qujiang	女仔, 妹仔
	Renhua	女仔
	Lechang	女仔
	Yangjiang	妹, 妹仔
	Nanning	女仔, 妹仔, 妹丁
	Dongxing	妹仔
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	女仔
	Singapore (Guangfu)	女仔
Gan	Nanchang	女崽子
	Pengze	女妹
Hakka	Meixian	細妹仔
	Xingning	細妹哩
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	女仔
	Huidong (Daling)	阿僬妹仔
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	僬妹
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	老妹仔
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	女仔, 僬妹仔
	Qujiang	細妹子
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	細妹仔
	Conghua (Lütian)	妹仔
	Changting	細妹子
	Wuping	細妹子
	Wuping (Pingyu)	細妹子
	Liancheng	妹子人
	Ninghua	女子薩
	Ruijin	女客子, 細女子
	Shicheng	細女女子
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	細妹仔
	Liudui (S. Sixian)	細妹仔
	Hsinchu (Hailu)	細妹仔
	Dongshi (Dabu)	細妹
	Hsinchu (Raoping)	細妹仔, 細妹
	Yunlin (Zhao'an)	妹子, 妹子人
Jin	Taiyuan	妮子, 女娃娃
Min Bei	Jian'ou	阿娘囝仔
Min Dong	Fuzhou	諸娘囝
	Matsu	諸娘囝
Min Nan	Xiamen	查某囡仔
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	查某囡仔
	Quanzhou	查某囡仔
	Zhangzhou	查某囡仔, 查某嬰
	Taipei	查某囡仔
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	查某囡仔
	Kaohsiung	查某囝
	Yilan	查某囡仔
	Changhua (Lukang)	查某囡仔
	Taichung	查某囡仔
	Tainan	查某囡仔
	Hsinchu	查某囡仔
	Kinmen	查某囡仔
	Penghu (Magong)	查某囡仔
	Penang (Hokkien)	查某囡仔
	Singapore (Hokkien)	查某囡仔
	Manila (Hokkien)	查某囡仔
	Chaozhou	諸娘囝
	Shantou	諸娘囝, 查某囝
	Chenghai	諸娘囝
	Jieyang	諸娘囝
	Lufeng	查某囡仔
	Haifeng	查某囡仔
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	查某囝
	Singapore (Teochew)	查某囝
	Leizhou	查某囝
	Wenchang	查某囝
	Haikou	查某囝
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	女囝
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	女子
Wu	Shanghai	女小囡, 小鬼丫頭
	Suzhou	小娘兒, 女小干
	Wenzhou	女兒, 媛子兒
Xiang	Changsha	妹子, 細妹子, 妹伢子
	Shuangfeng	妹唧, 細妹唧

Dialectal synonyms of 女兒 (“daughter”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		女
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		女兒
Mandarin	Beijing	女兒, 女花兒, 閨女, 姑娘, 丫頭
	Taiwan	女兒
	Tianjin	女兒, 閨女, 小棉襖 humorous
	Langfang	閨妮
	Tangshan	閨女
	Cangzhou	閨女
	Baoding	閨女
	Shijiazhuang	閨女
	Daming	妮兒
	Bayanhot	丫頭
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	女兒
	Harbin	女兒, 姑娘, 閨女, 閨娘, 丫頭
	Shenyang	姑娘, 丫頭
	Muping	閨娘, 閨娘子, 女兒
	Qingdao	閨女
	Weifang (Weicheng)	閨女
	Weifang (Fangzi)	閨女, 嫚兒
	Weifang (Hanting)	閨女
	Changyi	閨女, 嫚姑子
	Gaomi	閨女, 嫚兒, 嫚兒姑子
	Zhucheng	閨女
	Anqiu	閨女
	Changle	閨女兒
	Linqu	閨女
	Qingzhou	閨女
	Shouguang	閨女
	Wulian	閨女, 丫頭, 嫚兒, 識字班
	Jinan	閨女
	Wanrong	女子
	Zhengzhou	閨女, 妞
	Xi'an	女, 女兒
	Yinchuan	女兒, 丫頭
	Lanzhou	女兒
	Xining	姑娘, 丫頭
	Ürümqi	女兒, 丫頭
	Wuhan	姑娘, 丫頭
	Huanggang	女兒
	Chengdu	女兒, 女, 姑娘兒
	Guiyang	姑娘, 女娃娃, 女娃兒, 幺女, 幺姑娘, 小丫頭, 小姑娘
	Kunming	囡兒, 姑娘
	Guilin	女兒
	Liuzhou	女, 丫頭
	Sanjiang (Danzhou)	妹崽
	Xuzhou	女兒, 閨女
	Yangzhou	女兒, 姑娘
	Nanjing	女兒, 姑娘
	Hefei	女兒, 丫頭
	Nantong	丫頭
	Malaysia	女兒
	Singapore	女兒
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	女兒, 姑娘兒
Cantonese	Guangzhou	女
	Hong Kong	女, 女女, 阿女
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	女, 妹仔
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	女
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	阿女
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	阿女
	Macau	女
	Panyu	女
	Huadu (Huashan)	女
	Conghua	女
	Zengcheng	女
	Foshan	女
	Nanhai (Shatou)	女
	Shunde	女
	Sanshui	女
	Gaoming (Mingcheng)	女
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	女
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	女
	Doumen (Shangheng Tanka)	女
	Doumen	女
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	女
	Xinhui	女
	Taishan	女
	Kaiping (Chikan)	女
	Enping (Niujiang)	女
	Heshan (Yayao)	女
	Dongguan	女
	Bao'an (Shajing)	女
	Dapeng	阿女
	Qingyuan	女
	Fogang	女
	Yingde (Hanguang)	女
	Yangshan	妹仔
	Lianshan (Butian)	女
	Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui)	女
	Shaoguan	女
	Qujiang	女
	Renhua	女
	Lechang	女
	Gaoyao	女
	Sihui	女
	Guangning	女
	Deqing	女
	Huaiji	女
	Fengkai (Nanfeng)	女
	Yunfu	女
	Xinxing	女
	Luoding	女
	Yunan (Pingtai)	女
	Yangjiang	桓仔, 妹仔
	Xinyi	女
	Maoming (Xinpo)	女
	Lianjiang	女
	Wuchuan (Wuyang)	康女兒, 夫娘儂
	Nanning	女
	Wuzhou	女
	Yulin	女
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	女
	Guiping	女
	Mengshan (Xihe)	女
	Guigang (Nanjiang)	女
	Beiliu (Tangliao)	女
	Baise	女
	Bobai	女
Lingshan	女
Pubei	女
Qinzhou	女
Beihai	女
Beihai (Nankang)	女
Beihai (Yingpan)	女
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	女, 妹仔
Ningming	女
Hengxian	女
Hezhou (Pumen)	女仔
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	女
Danzhou	女
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	女
Singapore (Guangfu)	女
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	女
Móng Cái	女
Gan	Nanchang	女, 姑娘
	Lichuan	女
	Pingxiang	女, 妹仔
Hakka	Meixian	妹仔
	Xingning	妹哩
	Dabu (Xihe)	妹兒, 女
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	阿女
	Huiyang	妹子
	Huidong (Daling)	妹仔
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	妹主
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	妹主
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	妹子
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	妹哩
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	妹哩
	Wuhua (Changbu)	妹哩
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	妹哩
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	阿女
	Wengyuan	妹子
	Qujiang	妹子
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	妹仔
	Liannan	妹子
	Conghua (Lütian)	女
	Jiexi	妹
	Luhe	妹仔, 阿女
	Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)	阿女
	Changting	妹子, 女
	Wuping	妹子
	Wuping (Yanqian)	女哩
	Wuping (Pingyu)	妹子
	Liancheng	妹子娘
	Ninghua	女
	Yudu	女, 女子
	Ningdu	女
	Ruijin	女, 女子
	Shicheng	女
	Shangyou	女
	Tonggu (Sandu)	妹子
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	女
	Dayu	女哩
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	妹仔, 妹子
	Liudui (S. Sixian)	妹仔, 妹子
	Hsinchu (Hailu)	妹仔, 妹子
	Dongshi (Dabu)	妹, 妹子, 細妹
	Hsinchu (Raoping)	妹仔, 妹子
	Yunlin (Zhao'an)	阿女
	Hong Kong	妹子
	Yangxi (Tangkou)	妹子
	Yangchun (Sanjia)	女
	Xinyi (Sihe)	女
	Xinyi (Qianpai)	女
	Gaozhou (Xindong)	女
	Dianbai (Shalang)	女
	Huazhou (Xin'an)	女子
	Lianjiang (Shijiao)	妹𧊅, 女子
	Lianjiang (Qingping)	女
	Mengshan (Xihe)	妹子
	Luchuan	女
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	女
	Bobai (Shahe)	女
	Beiliu (Tang'an)	妹
	Mashan (Pianlian)	妹子
	Sabah (Bao'an)	妹子
	Sabah (Longchuan)	妹哩
	Kuala Lumpur (Dabu)	妹
	Senai (Huiyang)	妹子
	Singkawang	妹子
Huizhou	Jixi	女
	Shexian	女
	Tunxi	囡, 囡囝
	Xiuning	囡兒
	Yixian	囡兒
	Qimen	女, 女兒
	Wuyuan	女, 女兒, 囡
	Fuliang	女崽
	Dexing	𡚴姑
	Jingde	女伲
	Shitai (Xianyu)	女兒
Jin	Taiyuan	閨女, 姑娘, 妮子
	Pingyao	閨女, 女子
	Xinzhou	閨女
	Hohhot	閨女, 女子
	Zhangjiakou	閨女
	Handan	閨女
Min Bei	Jian'ou	阿娘囝
	Jian'ou (Dikou)	娘囝
	Songxi	阿娘囝
	Zhenghe	阿娘囝
	Zhenghe (Zhenqian)	娘囝
	Jianyang	阿娘囝
	Wuyishan	阿娘囝
	Pucheng (Shibei)	阿娘囝
Min Dong	Fuzhou	諸娘囝
	Changle	諸娘囝
	Fuqing	諸娘囝
	Yongtai	諸娘囝
	Gutian	諸娘囝
	Fu'an	諸娘囝
	Ningde	諸母囝
	Shouning	諸母囝
	Zhouning	諸娘囝
	Fuding	諸母囝
	Matsu	諸娘囝
Min Nan	Xiamen	查某囝, 查某仔
	Quanzhou	查某仔
	Yongchun	查某囝
	Zhangzhou	查某仔, 灶雞
	Changtai	查某仔
	Pinghe	查某囝, 查某仔 Xiazhai, Jiufeng, Luxi
	Zhangpu	查某仔
	Dongshan	查囝
	Taipei	查某囝
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	查某囝
	Kaohsiung	查某囡仔, 查某囝
	Yilan	查某囝
	Changhua (Lukang)	查某囝
	Taichung	查某囝
	Taichung (Wuqi)	查某囝
	Tainan	查某囝
	Taitung	查某囝
	Hsinchu	查某囝
	Kinmen	查某囡仔
	Penghu (Magong)	查某囝
	Penang (Hokkien)	查某囝, 查某仔
	Singapore (Hokkien)	查某囝
	Manila (Hokkien)	查某仔, 查某囝
	Longyan	查某仔
	Zhangping	查某仔
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	查某仔
	Datian	阿使
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	女
	Chaozhou	走囝
	Shantou	走囝
	Chenghai	走囝
	Jieyang	走囝
	Haifeng	查某囝
	Bangkok (Teochew)	走囝
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	走囝
	Singapore (Teochew)	查某囝
	Pontianak (Teochew)	查某囝
	Leizhou	查某囝
	Wenchang	查某囝
	Haikou	查某囝, 查囝
	Qionghai	查某囝
Puxian Min	Putian	嬸娘囝
	Xianyou	子囝
Min Zhong	Yong'an	娘囝
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	中母囝
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	女
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	女
Shehua	Fu'an	女
	Fuding	女
	Luoyuan	女
	Sanming	女
	Shunchang	女
	Hua'an	妹仔
	Guixi (Zhangping)	女
	Cangnan	女
	Jingning	女
	Lishui	女
	Longyou	女
	Chaozhou	女
	Fengshun	女
Wu	Shanghai	囡兒, 囡 dated, 囡兒大細 dated, 小鬼丫頭 endearing
	Chongming	丫頭
	Suzhou	囡兒
	Wuxi	囡兒
	Danyang	女兒
	Hangzhou	女兒
	Ningbo	囡
	Wenzhou	奶兒
	Jinhua	囡兒, 囡, 女兒
Xiang	Changsha	女, 妹子
	Shuangfeng	女
	Xiangtan	女, 妹唧
	Loudi	女
	Quanzhou	女崽

Compounds

Derived terms from 妹

• 乾妹妹／干妹妹
• 令妹 (lìngmèi)
• 伊妹 (yīmèi)
• 伊妹兒／伊妹儿 (yīmèir, “(humorous, obsolete) email”)
• 你妹 (nǐmèi, “(Mandarin) my arse”)
• 兄妹 (xiōngmèi)
• 兄弟姐妹 (xiōngdì jiěmèi, “brothers and sisters”)
• 內妹／内妹
• 十姊妹
• 嘉麗妹妹／嘉丽妹妹
• 堂妹 (tángmèi)
• 堂姊妹 (tángzǐmèi)
• 大陸妹／大陆妹 (dàlùmèi)
• 太妹
• 女妹
• 妹丈 (mèizhàng)
• 妹仔
• 妹夫 (mèifū)
• 妹妹 (mèimei, “younger sister”)

• 妹婿 (mèixù)
• 妹子 (mèizi)
• 妹紙／妹纸 (mèizhǐ)
• 妻姊妹婚
• 姊妹 (zǐmèi, “sisters”)
• 姊妹市 (zǐmèishì)
• 姊妹校
• 姊妹盟
• 姊妹行
• 姐妹 (jiěmèi, “sisters”)
• 姐妹花 (jiěmèihuā)
• 姨妹 (yímèi)
• 學生妹／学生妹
• 小妹 (xiǎomèi, “(Min Nan) younger sister”)
• 師妹／师妹 (shīmèi)
• 弟妹 (dìmèi)
• 恐龍妹／恐龙妹 (kǒnglóngmèi)
• 手帕姊妹
• 把妹 (bǎmèi)

• 架妹
• 歸妹／归妹 (guīmèi)
• 祭妹文
• 細妹／细妹 (“(dialectal) younger sister”)
• 老姐妹兒／老姐妹儿
• 胞妹 (bāomèi)
• 胞姊妹 (bāozǐmèi)
• 花小妹
• 蘇小妹／苏小妹
• 蜆妹／蚬妹
• 表妹 (biǎomèi)
• 表姐妹 (biǎojiěmèi)
• 辣妹 (làmèi, “hot babe”)
• 酷妹
• 鍾馗嫁妹／钟馗嫁妹
• 阿妹 (āmèi, “(Wu) younger sister”)
• 香火姊妹
• 鬼妹 (guǐmèi, “(Cantonese) a Caucasian girl”)
• 鹹水妹／咸水妹 (xiánshuǐmèi)

Descendants

• → Thai: หมวย (mǔai, “younger sister”) (said by Chinese race)

References

• “妹”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

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Japanese

Kanji

妹

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: まい (mai, Jōyō); め (me)
• Kan-on: ばい (bai)
• Kun: いもうと (imōto, 妹, Jōyō); いも (imo, 妹)
• Nanori: せ (se)

Compounds

Compounds

• 貴(き)妹(まい) (kimai)
• 愚(ぐ)妹(まい) (gumai)
• 兄(けい)妹(まい) (keimai)
• 実(じつ)妹(まい) (jitsumai)
• 姉(し)妹(まい) (shimai), 姉(きょう)妹(だい) (kyōdai)
• 従(じゅう)妹(まい) (jūmai)
• 叔(しゅく)妹(まい) (shukumai)
• 小(しょう)妹(まい), 少(しょう)妹(まい) (shōmai)
• 弟(てい)妹(まい) (teimai)
• 亡妹(ぼうまい) (bōmai)
• 末(まつ)妹(まい) (matsumai)
• 令妹(れいまい) (reimai)
• 十(ジュウ)姉妹(シマツ) (jūshimatsu)
• 妹(せの)尾(お) (Senoo)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
妹
いも Grade: 2
kun’yomi

⟨imo₁⟩ → */imʷo/ → /imo/

From Old Japanese 妹 (imo₁).

The medial /-m-/ means "woman, female", found in a number of related terms such as 女 (me, onna, “woman”), 嫗 (omina, “elderly woman”), and 母 (omo, “mother”, archaic).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• (Tokyo) い​も [íꜜmò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [imo̞]

Noun

妹(いも) • (imo) 

1. (archaic, said from a male speaker) a close female companion
   1. one's sister regardless of age difference
   2. one's lover or sweetheart who is the subject of marriage or is already married
      • 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (book 11, poem 485)

        かりごもの思(おも)ひ乱(みだ)れて我(われ)恋(こ)ふといも知(し)るらめや人(ひと)し告(つ)げずは

        karigomo no omoimidarete ware kou to imo shirurame ya hito shi tsugezu wa

        (please add an English translation of this example)

2. (archaic, said from a female speaker) a close female companion

Antonyms

• 兄(せ) (se, “close male companion, man”)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 妹(いもうと) (imōto, “one's younger sister”)
• 妹(いも)が績(う)む (imo ga umu, pillow word)
• 妹(いも)姑(しゅうとめ) (imo-shūtome)
• 妹(いも)兄(せ), 妹(いも)背(せ) (imose)
• 妹山(いもやま) (imoyama)

Etymology 2

/imo ɸito/ → /imowito/ → */imowuto/ → /imoːto/

Originally a compound of 妹 (imo, “sister, close female companion”) +‎ 人 (hito, “person”).

This is an instance of ウ音便 (u onbin, “u sound shift”), found in terms with bilabial consonants (/m/, /b/, /w/) followed by i; commonly seen in terms such as 玄人 (kurōto, “professional”), 素人 (shirōto, “amateur”), or possibly, 相撲 (sumō, “sumo”).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• (Tokyo) いもーと​ [ìmóótóꜜ] (Odaka – [4])
• IPA^(key): [imo̞ːto̞]

Noun

妹(いもうと) • (imōto) 

1. one's own younger sister
   • 2005 January 10, Izawa, Hiroshi; Yamada, Kotaro, “第(だい)34話(わ)　復(ふく)讐(しゅう)の槍(やり) [Chapter 34: The Lance of Vengeance]”, in ファイアーエムブレム 覇者の剣 [Fire Emblem: Sword of Champions], volume 9 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 60:

     妹(いもうと)の仇(かたき)だ！何(なん)万(まん)人(にん)だろうが地(じ)獄(ごく)へ送(おく)ってやる‼

     Imōto no kataki da! Nanmannin darō ga jigoku e okutte yaru‼

     This is for my sister! Keep coming, all of you! I’ll send you all straight to hell‼

   • 2014 January 17, Yoshitoki, Ōima, “第(だい)14話(わ)　西(にし)宮(みや)結(ゆ)絃(づる) [Chapter 14: Nishimiya Yuzuru]”, in 聲(こえ)の形(かたち) [A Silent Voice], volume 2 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 60:

     永(なが)束(つか)君(くん)　「少(しょう)年(ねん)」じゃない…西(にし)宮(みや)の妹(いもうと)だってよ

     Nagatsuka-kun “Shōnen” ja nai… Nishimiya no imōto da tte yo

     Nagatsuka-kun. That's not a "boy"… Nishimiya said that's her sister.

   Antonym: 姉 (ane)

2. the wife of one's younger brother; one's sister-in-law

   Synonym: 義妹 (gimai)

3. a younger female
4. (archaic, said from a male speaker) one's sister regardless of age difference

   Antonym: 兄人 (shōto)

(alternative reading hiragana いもっ, rōmaji imo')

1. (Kagoshima) younger sister

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 妹(いもうと)御(ご) (imōto-go)
• 妹(いもうと)女郎(じょろう) (imōto jorō)
• 妹(いもうと)分(ぶん) (imōtobun)
• 妹(いもうと)婿(むこ), 妹(いもうと)聟(むこ) (imōto-muko)
• 弟(おと)妹(いもうと), 小(おと)妹(いもうと) (oto-imōto)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
妹
いもと Grade: 2
Irregular

Appears in The Tale of Heiji, written around the mid-12th century.

Likely a variant shift from compound 妹 (imo, “sister, close female companion”) +‎ 人 (hito, “person”) or a further shift from imōto above. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

妹(いもと) • (imoto) 

1. (rare) Same as いもうと (imōto) above

Proper noun

妹(いもと) • (Imoto) 

1. a placename

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
妹
まい Grade: 2
goon

From Middle Chinese 妹 (MC muʌi^H).

Affix

妹(まい) • (mai) 

1. Same as いもうと (imōto) above

Proper noun

妹(まい) • (Mai) 

1. a female given name

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Korean

Hanja

妹 • (mae) (hangeul 매)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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Old Japanese

Etymology 1

The medial /-m-/ means "woman, female", found in a number of related terms such as 女 (me₁, womi₁na, “woman”), 嫗 (omi₁na, “elderly woman”), and 母 (omo₁, “mother”).

Noun

妹 (imo₁ → imo) (kana いも)

1. said from a male speaker:
   1. one's sister regardless of age difference
      • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 6, poem 1007), text here

        言不問木尚妹與兄有云乎直獨子尓有之苦者

        ko₂to₂ to₁panu ki₂ sura imo to₂ se ari to₂ ipu wo tada pi₁to₂riko₁ ni aru ga kurusisa

        (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   2. one's lover or sweetheart who is the subject of marriage or is already married
      • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 3, poem 464), text here

        秋去者見乍思跡妹之殖之屋前乃石竹開家流香聞

        aki₁ saraba mi₁tutu sino₁pe₁ to₂ imo ga uwesi nipa no₂ nadesiko₁ saki₁nike₁ru ka mo

        (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. said from a female speaker:
   1. a close female companion
      • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 4, poem 782), text here

        風高邊者雖吹為妹袖左倍所沾而苅流玉藻焉

        kaze takaku pe₁ ni pa pukedo₂mo imo ga tame₂ so₁de sape₂ nurete kareru tamamo so₂

        (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   2. one's sister regardless of age difference
3. a daughter
   • 711–712, Kojiki (poem 51)

     ...母登弊波岐美袁淤母比傅須恵幣波伊毛袁淤母比傅...

     ...mo₂to₂pe₁ pa ki₁mi₁ wo omo₂pi₁de suwepe₁ pa imo₁ wo omo₂pi₁de...

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Antonyms

• 兄 (se)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 妹ら (imora)
• 妹が家に (imo ga ipe₁ ni, pillow word)
• 妹が髪 (imo ga *kami, pillow word)
• 妹が着る (imo ga ki₁ru, pillow word)
• 妹が袖 (imo ga so₁de, pillow word)
• 妹が手を (imo ga te wo, pillow word)
• 妹が紐 (imo ga pi₁mo, pillow word)
• 妹が目を (imo ga me₂ wo, pillow word)
• 妹許 (imogari)
• 妹に恋ひ (imo ni ko₁pi₂, pillow word)
• 汝妹 (nanimo₁)
• 継妹 (mamaimo₁)
• 吾妹 (wagi₁mo₁)

Descendants

• Japanese: 妹 (imo)

Etymology 2

Shift from imo₁ above, due to either for poetic reasons, haplology, or reduction of vowel clusters; the latter which seen in 吾妹 (wagi₁mo₁).

Noun

妹 (mo₁ → mo) (kana も)

1. Same as いも (imo₁) above
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4388), text here

     多妣等弊等麻多妣爾奈理奴以弊乃母加枳世之己呂母爾阿加都枳爾迦理

     tabi₁ to₂ pe₁do₂ ma-tabi₁ ni narinu ipe₁ no₂ mo ga ki₁sesi ko₂ro₂mo ni aka tuki₁nikari

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Etymology 3

Noun

妹 (imu) (kana いむ)

1. (regional, Eastern Old Japanese) Same as いも (imo₁) above
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4321), text here

     可之古伎夜美許等加我布理阿須由利也加曳我牟多祢牟伊牟奈之爾志弖

     kasiko₁ki₁ ya mi₁-ko₂to₂ kagapuri asu yuri ya kaye ga muta nemu imu nasi ni site

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

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Vietnamese

Han character

妹: Hán Nôm readings: muội

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.