小姐

xiǎojiě

noun HSK 1 #408

Meanings

1 Miss
2 young lady

Characters

Literally 'young older sister' — a polite address for a young woman.

Examples

小姐，请问洗手间在哪里？

Xiǎojiě, qǐngwèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?

Miss, may I ask where the restroom is?

王小姐很漂亮。

Wáng xiǎojiě hěn piàoliang.

Miss Wang is very pretty.

Tips

culture

In mainland China, 小姐 has become less common as a form of address due to negative connotations in some contexts. Many people now use 美女 (měinǚ) instead. In Taiwan and formal settings, 小姐 remains perfectly polite.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo

姐 jiě