妹

mèi

女 + 未

Frequency#1185

Definitions

mèi (noun) younger sister

Etymology

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

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 未

About

The character "妹" is constructed from the radical "女", indicating female, and the component "未", which functions phonetically and semantically to suggest youth or immaturity. This phono-semantic etymology has consistently associated the character with the concept of a younger female sibling. Historically, the character has denoted a younger sister, with this specific meaning evident in classical texts and enduring in contemporary usage.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的妹妹很可爱。

Wǒ de mèimei hěn kě'ài.

My younger sister is very cute.

妹妹喜欢唱歌。

Mèimei xǐhuān chànggē.

My younger sister likes singing.

我和妹妹去公园。

Wǒ hé mèimei qù gōngyuán.

I am going to the park with my younger sister.

妹妹的学校很近。

Mèimei de xuéxiào hěn jìn.

My younger sister's school is very close.

我教妹妹做作业。

Wǒ jiāo mèimei zuò zuòyè.

I teach my younger sister to do homework.

妹妹虽然小，但很懂事。

Mèimei suīrán xiǎo, dàn hěn dǒngshì.

Although my younger sister is young, she is very sensible.

妈妈给妹妹买了一件新衣服。

Māma gěi mèimei mǎi le yī jiàn xīn yīfu.

Mom bought a new piece of clothing for my younger sister.

每当妹妹难过时，我都会安慰她。

Měi dāng mèimei nánguò shí, wǒ dōu huì ānwèi tā.

Whenever my younger sister feels sad, I always comfort her.

Related Characters

Component: 女

Component: 未

妹