姑 (gū): aunt
姑 (gū) is a Chinese character meaning “aunt.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 女 (structural) and 古 (structural). It ranks #993 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 姑 an older 古 woman 女; 古 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 女 (woman) appears in many related characters such as 女 (nǚ, woman), 奶 (nǎi, grandmother, milk), 她 (tā, she).
Definitions
- aunt
Etymology & Origin
ideographicAn older 古 woman 女; 古 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰女古 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 姑 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 姑
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 姑妈 | gū mā | (coll.) father's married sister |
| 灰姑娘 | huī gū niang | Cinderella |
| 姑且 | gū qiě | for the time being |
| 尼姑 | ní gū | Buddhist nun |
| 小姑子 | xiǎo gū zi | (coll.) husband's younger sister |
| 姑息 | gū xī | excessively tolerant |
| 姑父 | gū fu | father's sister's husband |
| 姑婆 | gū pó | grandfather's sister |
| 村姑 | cūn gū | village girl |
| 姑爷 | gū ye | son-in-law (used by wife's family) |
| 姑奶奶 | gū nǎi nai | paternal great-aunt (father's father's sister) |
| 小姑 | xiǎo gū | father's youngest sister |
| 姑母 | gū mǔ | father's sister |
| 道姑 | dào gū | Daoist nun |
| 姑息养奸 | gū xī yǎng jiān | to tolerate is to nurture an evildoer (idiom) |
姑 appears in 48 compound words: 46 as the first character, 27 as the last, and 27 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 姑 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
to tolerate is to nurture an evildoer (idiom); spare the rod and spoil the child
Example Sentences
我姑姑住在上海，每年春节我们都会去看望她。
Wǒ gūgu zhù zài Shànghǎi, měinián Chūnjié wǒmen dōu huì qù kànwang tā.
My aunt lives in Shanghai; we visit her every Spring Festival.
国台办:和平统一可保台能源供应 决不姑息台独分裂
guó tái bàn : hé píng tǒng yī kě bǎo tái néng yuán gōng yīng jué bù gū xī tái dú fēn liè
Taiwan Affairs Office: Peaceful reunification can ensure Taiwan’s energy supply; we will never tolerate “Taiwan independence” separatism
慎也娶了个漂亮姑娘。
Shènyě qǔ le ge piàoliang gūniang.
Shinya married a pretty girl.
四位姑娘之中最美的是南希。
Sì wèi gūniang zhīzhōng zuì měi de shì Nánxī.
Nancy is the most beautiful of the four girls.
等待一位漂亮的姑娘是我的荣幸。
Děngdài yī wèi piàoliang de gūniang shì wǒ de róngxìng.
It is my pleasure to wait for a beautiful lady.
我姑姑给了我一张唱片专辑。
Wǒ gūgu gěi le wǒ yī zhāng chàngpiàn zhuānjí.
My aunt gave me an album.
别对我放肆，小姑娘!
Bié duì wǒ fàngsì, xiǎogū niáng!
Don't get sassy with me young lady!
这个岗位不合适小姑娘。
Zhège gǎngwèi bù héshì xiǎo gūniáng.
The job isn't suitable for young girls.
乌克兰姑娘是全世界最漂亮的姑娘。
Wūkèlán gūniang shì quánshìjiè zuì piàoliang de gūniang.
Ukrainian girls are the prettiest in the world.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 姑 (gū) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 姑 (gū)?
Is 姑 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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