chị gái

See also: chigai

Vietnamese

Etymology

chị (“elder sister”) +‎ gái (“female”)

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ɣaːj˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ɣaːj˨˩˦]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [cɪj˨˩˨ ɣaːj˦˥]

Noun

(classifier người) chị gái • (姊𡛔)

1. (chiefly literary) Synonym of chị (“elder sister”)

   Chị gái tôi

   My Sister

Usage notes

• Unlike em (“younger sibling”) which is gender neutral, chị (“elder sister”) and anh (“elder brother”) are gender-specific. This expression is therefore redundant by nature, but it can be used for acoustic or literary eloquence because it is disyllabic.

Pronoun

chị gái • (姊𡛔)

1. (rather childish) Synonym of chị (“you, that sister over there who I'm assuming is a little older than me”)

See also

• anh trai