How to Write 媪 (ǎo) — Meaning “Old woman.”

Imagine an old woman (女) wrapped in a warm blanket — the right side 昷 looks like a sun (日) over a container (皿), like a warm soup. This visual helps you remember that 媪 means "old woman" associated with warmth and comfort.

Write the left radical 女 narrow and slightly tilted, then add the right part 昷. In 昷, first write 日 (four strokes) as a narrow rectangle, then 皿 (five strokes) below, making sure the bottom horizontal line of 皿 is long for balance. A common mistake is making the 女 too wide or the 日 too big.

While all three have the 女 radical, 媪 specifically means "old woman". 姬 (jī) refers to a lady or a woman of high rank, and 娉 (pīng) describes an elegant or graceful posture. Visually, 媪 has the right side 昷 (sun over dish), while 姬 has 臣 (minister) and 娉 has 甹.

媪 is a classical or literary word, rarely used in everyday speech. You may encounter it in historical novels, poetry, or phrases like 翁媪 (elderly couple). In modern Chinese, people use 老太太 or 老奶奶 to say "old woman" instead.

Common words containing 媪 include: 老媪 (lǎo ǎo) — Old woman.; 翁媪 (wēng ǎo) — an elderly couple; 媪妇 (ǎo fù) — Old woman..