姑娘 gūniang girl
girl; young woman; young lady; daughter; paternal aunt (old)
How to remember 姑娘: 姑 aunt + 娘 mother = girl.
Characters
How it is used
- Colloquial, Northern-flavored noun for "girl/young woman," also used as a warm form of address: 小姑娘 (xiǎo gūniang) little girl, 大姑娘 (dà gūniang) young lady.
- Warmer/folksier than the neutral 女孩 (nǚhái, girl) and less formal than 女士 (nǚshì, lady).
- Its old sense "paternal aunt" is rare in modern Mandarin - 姑姑 is standard for that now.
Example sentences
- 在面包房工作的姑娘很可爱。 Zài miànbāofáng gōngzuò de gūniáng hěn kěài.The girl who works at the bakery is cute.