姥爷

lǎoye

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Noun

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Definitions

1. grandpa (mother's father)
2. maternal grandfather

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Word relationships

Counterparts

1 item

• 爷爷 yé ye 爷爷 yé ye (coll.) father's father paternal grandfather, contrasts with maternal 姥爷: (coll.) father's father

Register variants

1 item

• 外公 wài gōng 外公 wài gōng (coll.) mother's father more common in southern China; 姥爷 is more common in northern China: (coll.) mother's father

Usage notes

Common mistakes

姥爷 is used only for the mother's father; using it for the father's father is incorrect. For paternal grandfather, use 爷爷.

Example Sentences

1 shown

我 姥爷 喜欢钓鱼。

My maternal grandfather likes fishing.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 姥爷

• 姥 姥 lǎo: grandma (maternal)
• 姥 姥 mǔ: governess
• 爷 爷 yé: grandpa