---
title: "Daye Meaning: 大爷 (dàyé) Means “ grandpa”"
description: "大爷 (traditional 大爺, dàyé) means “(polite) grandpa; old sir (to an older man)”. Hear its tones, see what 大 and 爷 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daye"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 大爷 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

大爷 dàyé

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

## It can also mean

- uncle (father's elder brother)
- (coll.) lord; master (an arrogant or pampered man)

## Its characters

1. 大 dà older
2. 爷 yé respectful form of address for an older man (as in 大爷)

## In a sentence

大爷，您身体真好！ Grandpa, you're in such good health!

你拐进去一看，路窄得只能过一辆自行车，两边是灰色的砖墙，墙头上探出一棵枣树，一位**大爷**坐在门口的小板凳上下棋。

From [胡同是什么？ · What is a Beijing hutong?](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-a-beijing-hutong#library-word-70-72)

[More about 大爷](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%A4%A7%E7%88%B7)

## More words with 大 or 爷

- [大巴 dàbā](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daba)
- [大臣 dàchén](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dachen)
- [大大 dàdà](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dada)
- [大胆 dàdǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dadan)
- [大地 dàdì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dadi)
- [大都 dàdōu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dadou)
- [大多 dàduō](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daduo)
- [大方 dàfang](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dafang)
- [大幅 dàfú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dafu)
- [大概 dàgài](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dagai)

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[All 214 Chinese radicals](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-radicals)

[How it compares with Migaku](https://mandarinthewild.com/compare/migaku)