妞

niū
丑 + 女

Definitions

niū (noun) girl

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 丑 represents the sound.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 丑

About

妞 is a phonosemantic compound: the semantic component 女 means 'woman,' marking the character as feminine, while the phonetic component 丑 contributes the reading niū. On its own, 丑 can mean 'ugly' or denote the second Earthly Branch, but here it carries no such connotations. The character serves as an informal term for a little girl or young lady, often affectionate or slightly dismissive. It is common in colloquial speech and regional dialects, appearing in compounds that designate female roles or functioning as a casual form of address.

Example Sentences Hide

这个小妞真可爱。

Zhège xiǎo niū zhēn kě'ài.

This little girl is really cute.

我妹妹是个活泼的妞。

Wǒ mèimei shì gè huópō de niū.

My younger sister is a lively girl.

隔壁家的妞妞五岁了。

Gébì jiā de Niūniu wǔ suì le.

The little girl next door, Niuniu, is five years old.

他总爱逗那个害羞的小妞。

Tā zǒng ài dòu nàgè hàixiū de xiǎo niū.

He always likes to tease that shy little girl.

那个爱笑的妞是我的好朋友。

Nàgè ài xiào de niū shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou.

That girl who loves to laugh is my good friend.

姐姐从大城市回来，变成了时尚妞。

Jiějie cóng dà chéngshì huílái, biànchéngle shíshàng niū.

My older sister came back from the big city and has become a fashionable girl.

别看她是个傻妞，心里可有主意了。

Bié kàn tā shì gè shǎ niū, xīnlǐ kě yǒu zhǔyìle.

Don't be fooled by her ditzy appearance, she actually has her own ideas.

这妞脾气倔起来，十头牛也拉不回来。

Zhè niū píqi juè qǐlái, shí tóu niú yě lā bù huílái.

When this girl gets stubborn, not even ten oxen can pull her back.

Related Characters

Component: 丑

纽 扭 丑 羞 钮 忸 衄 狃 紐 鈕 䶊 侴 吜 峱

Component: 女

要 如 好 她 女 安 始 委 威 妈 姐 娘 妇 婚

Example Words

妞妞 泡妞 柴禾妞 洋妞