How to say “wife” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
婆 is neutral in 老婆, so the word is lǎo-po with a soft second syllable. Casual and affectionate. 妻子 (qīzi) is the formal 'wife', and 太太 (tàitai) is the polite word for someone else's wife, as in 王太太, Mrs Wang.
In a sentence
Wǒ lǎopo zuò de jiǎozi hěn hǎochī.
My wife's dumplings are delicious.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "wife" in Chinese?+
"wife" in Mandarin Chinese is 老婆, pronounced lǎopo. 婆 is neutral in 老婆, so the word is lǎo-po with a soft second syllable. Casual and affectionate. 妻子 (qīzi) is the formal 'wife', and 太太 (tàitai) is the polite word for someone else's wife, as in 王太太, Mrs Wang.
What does 老婆 mean literally?+
老婆 breaks down as 老 (lǎo) = old, 婆 (po) = woman (neutral here). Together it means "wife".
How do I get the tones right in lǎopo?+
婆 is neutral in 老婆, so the word is lǎo-po with a soft second syllable. Casual and affectionate. 妻子 (qīzi) is the formal 'wife', and 太太 (tàitai) is the polite word for someone else's wife, as in 王太太, Mrs Wang.
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