Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.
小xiǎosmall
亅hook · jué
八eight · bā
Memory aidThree small strokes, like grains: small.
姐jiěolder sister
女woman · nǚMeaning part
且moreover · qiěSound part
女 hints at the meaning (woman); 且 (qiě) hints at the sound. Compare it with jiě.
How to write 小姐
小 3 strokes · 姐 8 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 小姐 (xiǎojiě). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
小姐 (xiǎojiě) means “miss” or “young lady”. It is an HSK 1 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.
Say it xiǎojiě: xiǎo with a 3rd tone, then jiě with a 3rd tone. In speech it sounds like xiáojiě. When two third tones meet, the first one rises into a second tone. You still write it with two third tones. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 小姐 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Use 个 (gè) or 位 (wèi). For example, one miss is 一个小姐 (yí ge xiǎojiě).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xiaojie with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 小姐 from the suggestions. Typing xiaojie into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
小姐 is an HSK 1 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
Turn words into conversations
A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.
Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.
小xiǎo3rd tone, dipping
