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Word file #016RisingFamily & teachers

What does jiejie mean?

姐姐jiějie

Say itJYEH-jyehnoun (also a term of address)

Character by character
  1. 姐jiěolder sister
  2. 姐jieolder sister (doubled)

Chinese for “older sister,” also used as a friendly title for an unrelated girl or young woman a little older than the speaker.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

Jiejie (姐姐) is Chinese for “older sister.” Chinese speakers also use it as a friendly title for a girl or young woman who is a little older than them, even when they are not related. English speakers meet it in Chinese dramas, animation, and web novels, where younger characters call the heroine jiejie. They also see it in fan comments about actresses and singers. In Singapore, children use it inside English sentences for a big sister or for any older girl.

English speakers usually say JYEH-jyeh. In Mandarin it is 姐姐 jiějie [1]. The first 姐 has the third tone, a low, dipping sound. The second has the neutral tone, which is short and light, so the word drops away at the end. The characters are the same in simplified and traditional Chinese. Each 姐 is 女 “woman” plus 且, a part that gives the sound. Jiejie is warm and informal. It is one of the first words Chinese learners study (HSK level 1) [1], and it is never rude.

Word stats

Known in English
Drama fans and Singaporean families know it well. Most other English speakers have never heard it.
Said in China today
Chinese speakers say it every day, for real sisters and for friendly older girls, just as fans use it.
Polite
Warm and kind almost everywhere. Only a formal work email makes it a little too cozy.
Freshness
More people look it up every year. Every new drama gives a few more viewers a new big sister.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · watching a C-drama
  1. Miaep 8 when the little girl calls her jiejie 😭
  2. Youwait is she her actual sister?
  3. Miano!! they met that morning. kids call any nice older girl jiejie
  4. Youso she got promoted to sister in one episode

What it means here: Here jiejie is a friendly title for an unrelated older girl, not a real sister.

Family chat · Saturday, 11:20 am
  1. Momjiejie is picking you up from practice at 12
  2. Youcan she get bubble tea on the way?
  3. Momshe says that was ONE time
  4. Youone time is how traditions start

What it means here: Inside the family, the older sister is called jiejie instead of her first name, even when Mom talks about her.

Comments under a fan video
  1. Kaijiejie looks amazing in this scene
  2. Lenashe’s been everyone’s jiejie for ten years and she’ll be jiejie forever
  3. Kaithe chinese comments are all 小姐姐好美 lol

What it means here: Fans use jiejie for an admired actress; Kai quotes 小姐姐好美 (xiǎo jiějie hǎo měi, “the young lady is so pretty”).

How to use it

  • call someone jiejieMy little cousin calls every teenager in the building jiejie.
  • Jiejie, … (instead of her name)Jiejie, can you help me with my homework?
  • name + jiejieLily jiejie is coming over later.
  • my jiejie (a real older sister)My jiejie is studying in Taipei this year.
  • the jiejie of a groupShe’s the oldest in the cast, so she’s everyone’s jiejie.

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds offHe’s my jiejie.

    Say thisHe’s my gege.

    Jiejie is only for girls and women. An older brother is gege (哥哥).

  • Sounds offMy jiejie is six and I’m ten.

    Say thisMy meimei is six and I’m ten.

    Jiejie means an older sister. A younger sister is meimei (妹妹).

  • Sounds off“jie-JIE,” with a strong second half

    Say this“JYEH-jyeh,” with a light, short second half

    In Mandarin the second 姐 has the neutral tone, so it is quick and soft, not stressed.

  • Sounds offHi Jiejie, please find the report attached.

    Say thisHi Ms. Chen, please find the report attached.

    Jiejie is warm and familiar. It is fine for family and friends, but too cozy for a manager you barely know.

jiejie or not?

Is each of these jiejie? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. A five-year-old calls the sixteen-year-old girl next door jiejie.

  2. You call your younger sister jiejie.

  3. A fan calls a favorite actress who is a few years older jiejie.

  4. A boy calls his older brother jiejie.

The jiejie family

  • 哥哥 gēgeOlder brother; also a friendly title for a slightly older young man.The male version. Drama fans meet him in the same episode.
  • 妹妹 mèimeiYounger sister; also a friendly word for a younger girl.If you are someone’s jiejie, they are probably your meimei.
  • 小姐姐 xiǎo jiějieOnline slang for a young woman, said with friendliness or admiration; often written xjj.The “little” is about tone, not height.

Where it came from

  1. Han dynasty (around 100 CE)The Shuowen jiezi, an early Chinese dictionary, records 姐 as a word for “mother” in the ancient state of Shu, in today’s Sichuan [2]. Modern Chinese does not use it this way.
  2. Song dynasty (960–1279)The writer Hong Mai uses 大姐 and 二姐, “eldest sister” and “second sister,” showing 姐 as a word for sisters [2].
  3. Today姐姐 is a first-year word for Chinese learners, and English-speaking fans of Chinese dramas and novels use it without translating it.

Jiejie, 小姐姐, and the other sibling words

In Chinese, 姐 means a sister born before you. It is also used for an older woman of your own generation, and as a general way to talk about women [2]. That is why a child can call the teenager next door jiejie, and why a fan can call a favorite actress jiejie without being related to her.

WordPinyinMeaning
姐姐jiějieOlder sister; a friendly older girl or woman
妹妹mèimeiYounger sister
哥哥gēgeOlder brother
弟弟dìdiYounger brother
大姐dàjiěEldest sister; a friendly word for an older woman
小姐姐xiǎo jiějieOnline: a young woman, said with friendly admiration

小姐姐 (“little older sister”) is the internet form. Language Log explains that people use it, often shortened to xjj, for girls or young women to show friendliness, admiration, or politeness, and that it can also be ironic [3]. The “little” does not mean she is a child. It just makes the word softer.

Do not mix these up with 小姐 xiǎojiě, “Miss.” It looks similar, but in mainland China it has picked up an unpleasant slang meaning, so many people avoid using it to address a stranger. 姐姐 has no bad meaning.

You may also see 姊姊, an older written form that is common in Taiwan. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education dictionary treats 姐 and 姊 as the same word [2].

Sources

  1. jiejie Chinese English dictionaryMDBG (CC-CEDICT)
  2. 姐 (教育部異體字字典)Ministry of Education, Taiwan
  3. Acronyms in ChinaLanguage Log (University of Pennsylvania)

More words to decode

Articles

Meet a jiejie or two

Second Language is a pixel-art RPG where you talk to characters, finish quests, and learn Chinese family words like 姐姐 and 哥哥. The intro course is free to play.

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