Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (女) is compressed to occupy about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (未) two-thirds of the space so the character remains well-balanced.
1. Meaning
younger sister
younger female person or cousinform of address for a younger female
NounNeutral#family#relationships#kinship
Sample Usage
我有两个妹妹。
Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè mèi mei.
I have two younger sisters.
这是我的妹妹。
Zhè shì wǒ de mèi mei.
This is my younger sister.
2. Sound
/[meɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
妹
mèimei4
|
++
`(51)
=mèi
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed lightly together to form the nasal stop 'm', then relaxed into the vowel.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'ay' in say
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
5 → 1 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply to the bottom, similar to saying a forceful, final 'No!' in English.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the fourth tone (falling 51) with the neutral tone when repeated as 'mèimei' (the second syllable becomes unstressed and flat).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, firm nod downward, like dropping an object definitively from eye level to the floor.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (女) is compressed to occupy about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (未) two-thirds of the space so the character remains well-balanced.
4. Components
Radical女 · Woman Radical (female, woman)
Semantic Clue (形旁):女 (indicates the female gender of the family member)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):未 (original sound: wèi / mèi)
A younger sister is a female person (女) who is 'not yet' (未) fully grown or older than you.
女 Female radical
未 Not yet (phonetic and conceptual clue)
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
4· Phonetic Root: 未 (wèi)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined the signific 女 (woman) and the phonetic 未 (wèi, meaning not yet), reflecting a female family member who is chronologically younger.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to a younger sister, and modern usage maintains this primary familial definition.
The component 未 contributes both a phonetic hint and the conceptual idea of someone who is 'not yet' an adult.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
muội
The Chinese Tone 4 corresponds roughly to the Vietnamese nặng or sắc tone contour depending on historical entering tones, mapping here to muội.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: マイ / Kun: いもうと
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
매
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Your younger sister (女) is 'not yet' (未) tall enough to reach the top shelf, so she asks for your help.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
味
wèitaste, flavorReplaces the female radical with the mouth radical (口) because taste relates to the mouth.
末
mòtip, endRemoves the radical entirely, leaving just the tree trunk with a longer top line indicating the very top tip.
眯
mīto squintReplaces the female radical with the eye radical (目) because squinting involves the eyes.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
末(mò)
末 (tip/end) has a longer top horizontal stroke; 妹 (younger sister) has the woman radical (女) on the left.
朱(zhū)
朱 has a tree base with a vertical stroke dropping through the middle, whereas 未 has two horizontal top branches where the upper one is shorter.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我有两个[___]。
Clue: mèi mei
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the top horizontal stroke lengths of 未 inside 妹 with the character 木 or 末, leading to incorrect proportions.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 妹 mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'younger sister' using the woman radical?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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妹mèiyounger sister
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