How to say “younger sister” 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
Falling 妹, then a neutral echo. Older sister is 姐姐 (jiějie). Watch out for 美眉 (měiméi), slang for a pretty girl, which has the same sounds with different tones.
In a sentence
Wǒ mèimei jīnnián shàng dàxué.
My younger sister starts university this year.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "younger sister" in Chinese?+
"younger sister" in Mandarin Chinese is 妹妹, pronounced mèimei. Falling 妹, then a neutral echo. Older sister is 姐姐 (jiějie). Watch out for 美眉 (měiméi), slang for a pretty girl, which has the same sounds with different tones.
What does 妹妹 mean literally?+
妹妹 breaks down as 妹 (mèi) = younger sister, 妹 (mei) = (repeated, neutral). Together it means "younger sister".
How do I get the tones right in mèimei?+
Falling 妹, then a neutral echo. Older sister is 姐姐 (jiějie). Watch out for 美眉 (měiméi), slang for a pretty girl, which has the same sounds with different tones.
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