老太太 lǎotàitai elderly lady (respectful)
elderly lady (respectful); esteemed mother
How to remember 老太太: 老 old + 太 too much = elderly lady (respectful).
Characters
How it is used
- An elderly lady (respectful) - 邻居家的老太太 (línjū jiā de lǎotàitai) the old lady next door.
- A polite, warm term for an old woman; measure word 位 (wèi). Male counterpart is 老头儿 (lǎotóur, less formal) or 老先生.
- Colloquial and respectful; note both 太 are neutral tone.
Example sentences
- 我看见一个老太太穿过了马路。 Wǒ kànjiàn yígè lǎotàitài chuānguò le mǎlù.I saw an old woman cross the street.