About
妗 is a phono-semantic compound, a common character type in which one element indicates meaning and another suggests pronunciation. The radical 女 (woman) on the left side identifies the character as referring to a female. The component 今 on the right serves as the phonetic, guiding the character's pronunciation. Its specific meaning is the wife of a mother's brother, a particular kind of maternal aunt within the intricate traditional Chinese family structure. This term exemplifies the historical kinship system's demand for detailed linguistic precision, where separate vocabulary distinguished paternal from maternal relatives and marked each person's exact position in the extended family hierarchy.
Etymology Hide
Example Words
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.