How to Write 姨 (yí) — Meaning “aunt (mother's sister)”

Imagine your aunt (mother's sister) is a 'woman' (女) who always says 'Yee!' (sounds like yí) with excitement when she sees you. The right side 夷 can be visualized as a big bow (大) with a person (人) wearing it, like an aunt giving you a gift.

Start with the left radical 女: write it narrow with the third stroke (horizontal) slightly rising. The right part 夷 has a short horizontal stroke at the top on the left side; be careful not to write it as a full cross. Keep the left and right balanced — the left is narrower, the right wider, with the bottom of both parts roughly aligned.

姨 (yí) means 'aunt (mother's sister)' while 妊 (rèn) means 'pregnant' and 妍 (yán) means 'beautiful'. Visually, 姨 has the right component 夷, 妊 has 壬 (a workman), and 妍 has 开 (open). All share the 女 radical but differ in the right part and meaning.

姨 is commonly used in the words 阿姨 (ā yí) for 'auntie' as a polite address for an older woman, and 姨妈 (yí mā) specifically for one's mother's sister. In Chinese culture, you may also call your mother's younger sister 小姨 (xiǎo yí). It's a respectful term, not used for father's sisters (they are 姑).

Common words containing 姨 include: 阿姨 (ā yí) — aunt; auntie; 姨妈 (yí mā) — aunt (mother's sister); 小姨 (xiǎo yí) — Aunt (mother's younger sister).