外婆

wài pó

CL 位 wèi 个 gè

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Noun Common

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Definitions

1. (coll.) mother's mother
2. maternal grandmother

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Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

• 姥姥 lǎo lao 姥姥 lǎo lao (coll.) mother's mother regional variant for maternal grandmother: (coll.) mother's mother

Related words

3 items

• 奶奶 nǎi nai 奶奶 nǎi nai (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother) paternal grandmother: (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother)
• 外祖父 wài zǔ fù 外祖父 wài zǔ fù maternal grandfather (i.e. mother's father) maternal grandfather: maternal grandfather (i.e. mother's father)
• 祖父 zǔ fù 祖父 zǔ fù father's father paternal grandfather: father's father

Usage notes

Common mistakes

Do not use 外婆 for paternal grandmother; use 奶奶 (nǎinai) instead.

Cultural notes

Maternal and paternal grandparents have distinct terms, reflecting the importance of lineage in Chinese culture.

Example Sentences

1 shown

我 外婆 住在北京。

My maternal grandmother lives in Beijing.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 外婆

• 外 外 wài: outside
• 婆 婆 pó: grandmother