小姑 (xiǎogū): father's youngest sister (pater…

Meanings

1 father's youngest sister (paternal aunt)
2 husband's younger sister (sister-in-law)

Characters

小

Examples

小姑今年才二十岁，比我还小。

Xiǎogū jīnnián cái èrshí suì, bǐ wǒ hái xiǎo.

My youngest paternal aunt is only twenty this year — she's younger than me.

她和小姑相处得很好。

Tā hé xiǎogū xiāngchǔ de hěn hǎo.

She gets along very well with her sister-in-law (her husband's younger sister).

Tips

culture

Chinese kinship terms distinguish paternal vs. maternal and elder vs. younger. 小姑 specifically marks 'youngest' on the father's side. Compare 大姑 (eldest paternal aunt), 姑姑 (any paternal aunt), and 姨 (yí, maternal aunt). After marriage, a woman uses 小姑 for her husband's younger sister too — context tells you which sense applies.

mistakes

Don't confuse 小姑 with 小姨 (xiǎoyí, mother's youngest sister). 姑 = father's side, 姨 = mother's side. Mixing them up in front of family is a common learner faux pas.