---
title: "Chinese Honorifics: How to Address People, From 先生 and 阿姨 to 师兄 and 殿下, With Pinyin"
description: "67 Chinese honorifics and titles of respect: 您, 先生, 老师 and 师傅, 阿姨 and 哥哥 for strangers, 老 and 小 before a name, 师父, 师兄 and 前辈 from martial arts novels, and 陛下, 殿下 and 娘娘 from the court, each with pinyin, meaning and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-honorifics"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 67 words

# Chinese honorifics

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Speed

## Polite everyday

nín您

(polite) you

xiān先sheng生

Mr.; sir

nǚ女shì士

lady; madam

xiǎo小jie姐

Miss; young lady

tài太tai太

wife; Mrs. (form of address)

lǎo老shī师

teacher

shī师fu傅

(polite) form of address for a driver or tradesman

lǎo老bǎn板

boss; owner (of a shop or business)

tóng同xué学

student (form of address)

shuài帅gē哥

handsome guy

měi美nǚ女

miss (to address a young woman)

xiǎo小jiě姐jiě姐

young lady; miss (friendly term for a young woman)

xiǎo小gē哥ge哥

young guy; cute young man

qīn亲

(internet) dear (form of address)

## Family words for anyone

ā阿yí姨

aunt (term of address for a woman of one's mother's generation)

shū叔shu叔

(polite) uncle; mister (used by children)

dà大yé爷

(polite) grandpa; old sir (to an older man)

dà大mā妈

auntie (polite address for an older woman)

dà大gē哥

(polite) elder brother (form of address for a man about one's age)

dà大jiě姐

big sister (polite address for a woman a bit older)

gē哥ge哥

guy (form of address for a young man)

jiě姐jie姐

miss; sister (form of address for a young woman)

sǎo嫂zi子

(polite) form of address for a married woman

xiǎo小péng朋yǒu友

little friend (to address a child)

## Before and after a name

lǎo老

(prefix) used before family names or ranks

xiǎo小

(prefix) used before names: little; young

ā阿

(prefix) used before names and kinship terms

zǒng总

boss (title after a surname)

jīng经lǐ理

manager; director

zhǔ主rèn任

director; head

yī医shēng生

doctor

dài大fu夫

doctor; physician

jiào教shòu授

professor

lǐng领dǎo导

leader; boss

## At school

xué学zhǎng长

senior schoolmate (male)

xué学jiě姐

senior female schoolmate

xué学dì弟

junior male schoolmate

xué学mèi妹

junior female student; younger female schoolmate

## Martial arts and novels

shī师fu父

master; teacher (in a craft, martial art, or religion)

shī师zūn尊

master (respectful term for one's teacher)

shī师xiōng兄

senior fellow student or disciple (male)

shī师jiě姐

senior female fellow student or apprentice

shī师dì弟

junior male fellow student or apprentice

shī师mèi妹

junior female fellow student or apprentice

qián前bèi辈

senior; elder

wǎn晚bèi辈

younger generation; junior

zài在xià下

(humble) I; me

dà大xiá侠

great hero; knight-errant

gōng公zǐ子

young gentleman

gū姑niang娘

girl; young woman

zhǎng掌mén门

head of a martial arts school or sect

dào道zhǎng长

Taoist priest (respectful form of address)

## The court and the palace

bì陛xià下

Your Majesty; His or Her Majesty

diàn殿xià下

Your Highness; His or Her Highness

huáng皇shang上

the emperor; Your Majesty

huáng皇hòu后

empress; queen consort

tài太zǐ子

crown prince

gōng公zhǔ主

princess

wáng王ye爷

prince; lord (title in imperial China)

niáng娘niang娘

empress; imperial concubine

guì贵fēi妃

imperial concubine of the highest rank

gé格ge格

princess (Manchu title for daughters of nobility)

ā阿gē哥

prince (in the Qing court)

dà大rén人

(polite) Your Excellency; lord (form of address for officials or elders)

fū夫rén人

wife; madame

lǎo老ye爷

master; lord

shào少ye爷

young master (son of a rich family)

## How do you address someone politely in Chinese?

Say 您 (nín, you) for you, and put the title after the surname: 王先生 (Wáng xiānsheng), Mr Wang; 李女士 (Lǐ nǚshì), Ms Li; 张老师 (Zhāng lǎoshī) for a teacher. Call a driver or workman 师傅 (shīfu, form of address for a driver or tradesman), and a shop owner 老板 (lǎobǎn, boss).

## Why do Chinese people call strangers auntie and uncle?

Family words are used for anyone, by age. A woman your mother’s age is 阿姨 (āyí, aunt) and a man your father’s age 叔叔 (shūshu, uncle); an older man is 大爷 (dàyé, grandpa) and an older woman 大妈 (dàmā, auntie); someone a little older than you is 大哥 (dàgē, elder brother) or 大姐 (dàjiě, big sister).

## What do 老 and 小 before a name mean?

老 (lǎo) before a surname is for a friend or colleague your age or older: 老王. 小 (xiǎo) is for someone younger: 小王. A boss is called by surname and 总 (zǒng): 王总. 阿 (ā) before a name is friendly, more in the south: 阿明.

## What does gege mean?

哥哥 (gēge) is an older brother, and also a friendly word for a young man; in dramas and fandom it is what fans call a male star. 姐姐 (jiějie) works the same way for a young woman.

## Is it rude to call a woman 小姐?

After a surname, 王小姐 (Wáng xiǎojiě) is the polite Miss Wang. On its own, to call a waitress, it can sound rude in mainland China, where it was slang for a hostess; people say 服务员 (fúwùyuán) or 美女 (měinǚ) instead. In Taiwan and Hong Kong it is still fine.

## What do the honorifics in wuxia and xianxia novels mean?

师父 (shīfu) is your master. Those who joined the school before you are 师兄 (shīxiōng) and 师姐 (shījiě), after you 师弟 (shīdì) and 师妹 (shīmèi). Anyone senior in the martial world is 前辈 (qiánbèi), you are their 晚辈 (wǎnbèi), and a polite hero calls himself 在下 (zàixià), “the one below”. 师父 and 师傅 sound the same: 师父 is your own master, 师傅 a skilled worker.

## How do you address royalty in Chinese?

The emperor is 陛下 (bìxià), Your Majesty, or 皇上 (huángshang); a prince or princess is 殿下 (diànxià), Your Highness; an empress or consort is 娘娘 (niángniang); an official was called 大人 (dàrén), Your Excellency.

## Can’t hear it?

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## More on what to call people

- [Chinese family members](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-family-members)
- [Chinese pet names and nicknames](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-phrases/pet-names)
- [Chinese warrior and emperor names](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-warrior-and-emperor-names)
- [Polite Chinese phrases](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-phrases/polite)

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary.