姥姥

lǎo lao

HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 5 Noun Uncommon

Definitions

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

Word relationships

Counterparts

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• 奶奶 nǎi nai 奶奶 nǎi nai (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother) 奶奶 is the paternal grandmother, while 姥姥 is the maternal grandmother.: (informal) grandma (paternal grandmother)

Register variants

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• 外婆 wài pó 外婆 wài pó (coll.) mother's mother 外婆 is the formal standard term for maternal grandmother, while 姥姥 is a colloquial northern term.: (coll.) mother's mother

Related words

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• 外公 wài gōng 外公 wài gōng (coll.) mother's father 外公 is the maternal grandfather, counterpart to 姥姥.: (coll.) mother's father

Usage notes

Collocations

姥姥 is primarily used in northern China; southern speakers more commonly use 外婆.

Common mistakes

Do not confuse 姥姥 (maternal grandmother) with 奶奶 (paternal grandmother).

Example Sentences

1 shown

我 姥姥 住在北京。

My maternal grandmother lives in Beijing.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 姥姥

• 刘姥姥进大观园 刘姥姥进大观园 liú lǎo lao jìn dà guān yuán: Granny Liu visits the Grand View gardens
• 姑姥姥 姑姥姥 gū lǎo lao: mother's father's sister (coll.)
• 姨姥姥 姨姥姥 yí lǎo lao: mother's mother's sister

Child Words of 姥姥

• 姥 姥 lǎo: grandma (maternal)
• 姥 姥 mǔ: governess