Definify.com
Definition 2025
婆婆
婆婆
Chinese
| grandmother; matron; mother-in-law | grandmother; matron; mother-in-law | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| simp. and trad. (婆婆) | 婆 | 婆 | |
Noun
婆婆
- (chiefly Mandarin, Jin) mother-in-law (husband's mother)
- (chiefly Cantonese) maternal grandmother
- (Gan, dialectal Mandarin) paternal grandmother
- (dialectal) old woman
- (mainland China) leader; superior; higher authority
Synonyms
- (mother-in-law):
| Dialectal synonyms of 婆婆 (“husband's mother; mother-in-law”) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Variety | Location | Words | 
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 婆婆 | |
| Mandarin | Beijing | 婆婆 | 
| Taiwan | 婆婆 | |
| Jinan | 婆婆 | |
| Xi'an | 婆 | |
| Wuhan | 婆婆 | |
| Chengdu | 老人婆 | |
| Yangzhou | 婆 | |
| Hefei | 婆婆、老婆婆 | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 家婆、奶奶 | 
| Hong Kong | 家婆、奶奶 | |
| Taishan | 家婆 | |
| Yangjiang | 家婆 | |
| Gan | Nanchang | 婆、婆子 | 
| Hakka | Meixian | 家娘 | 
| Xingning | 家娘 | |
| Huidong (Huizhou) | 家娘 | |
| Qujiang | 家娘婆 | |
| Xiaosanjiang | 家婆 | |
| Changting | 家娘 | |
| Pingyu | 家娘 | |
| Wuping | 家娘 | |
| Liancheng | 家娘 | |
| Ninghua | 家婆 | |
| Ruijin | 家婆、奶奶 | |
| Shicheng | 家婆 | |
| Shangyou | 家婆 | |
| Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 家娘 | |
| Liudui (S. Sixian) | 家娘 | |
| Hsinchu (Hailu) | 家娘 | |
| Dongshi (Dabu) | 家娘 | |
| Zhuolan (Raoping) | 家娘 | |
| Yunlin (Zhao'an) | 家婆 | |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 婆婆 | 
| Min Bei | Jian'ou | 嫲嫲 | 
| Min Dong | Fuzhou | 大家 | 
| Min Nan | Quanzhou | 大家 | 
| Xiamen | 大家 | |
| Zhangzhou | 大家 | |
| Taipei | 大家 | |
| Kaohsiung | 大家 | |
| Tainan | 大家 | |
| Taichung | 大家 | |
| Yilan | 大家仔 | |
| Lukang | 大家 | |
| Sanxia | 大家 | |
| Kinmen | 親姆 | |
| Magong | 大家 | |
| Hsinchu | 大家 | |
| Malaysia | 娘 | |
| Chaozhou | 大家 | |
| Wu | Suzhou | 阿婆 | 
| Wenzhou | 大家娘 | |
| Xiang | Changsha | 家娘 | 
| Shuangfeng | 家娘 | |
- (maternal grandmother):
| Dialectal synonyms of 外祖母 (“maternal grandmother”) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Variety | Location | Words | 
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 外祖母 | |
| Mandarin | Beijing | 姥姥 | 
| Taiwan | 外婆 | |
| Jinan | 老娘 | |
| Xi'an | 舅家奶、舅奶、外奶 | |
| Wuhan | 家家 | |
| Chengdu | 外婆、家婆 | |
| Yangzhou | 婆婆 | |
| Hefei | 外奶奶 | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 婆婆、阿婆、外婆 | 
| Hong Kong | 婆婆、阿婆、外婆 | |
| Taishan | 外婆、婆 | |
| Yangjiang | 外婆 | |
| Gan | Nanchang | 阿婆 | 
| Hakka | Meixian | 外阿婆 | 
| Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 姐婆 | |
| Liudui (S. Sixian) | 外阿婆、阿婆 | |
| Hsinchu (Hailu) | 姐婆 | |
| Dongshi (Dabu) | 外阿婆 | |
| Zhuolan (Raoping) | 姐嬤 | |
| Yunlin (Zhao'an) | 外媽 | |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 娘娘 | 
| Min Bei | Jian'ou | 蔗嫲、嫲嫲 | 
| Min Dong | Fuzhou | 外媽 | 
| Min Nan | Quanzhou | 媽仔、俺媽、外媽 | 
| Xiamen | 阿媽、俺媽、外媽 | |
| Zhangzhou | 阿媽、姆媽、外媽 | |
| Taipei | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Kaohsiung | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Tainan | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Taichung | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Yilan | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Lukang | 阿媽、俺媽、外媽 | |
| Sanxia | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Kinmen | 俺媽、外媽 | |
| Magong | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Hsinchu | 阿媽、外媽 | |
| Malaysia | 阿媽、媽、外媽 | |
| Chaozhou | 外媽 | |
| Wu | Suzhou | 外婆 | 
| Wenzhou | 外婆娘 | |
| Xiang | Changsha | 外婆 | 
| Shuangfeng | 外婆 | |
- (paternal grandmother):
| Dialectal synonyms of 祖母 (“paternal grandmother”) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Variety | Location | Words | 
| Classical Chinese | 祖母 | |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 祖母 | |
| Mandarin | Beijing | 奶奶、奶 | 
| Taiwan | 奶奶 | |
| Jinan | 奶奶 | |
| Xi'an | 奶 | |
| Wuhan | 婆婆、奶奶、太 | |
| Chengdu | 婆婆、奶奶 | |
| Yangzhou | 奶奶 | |
| Hefei | 奶奶 | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 嫲嫲、阿嫲 | 
| Hong Kong | 嫲嫲、阿嫲 | |
| Taishan | 阿人、人 | |
| Yangjiang | 阿婆、阿嫲 | |
| Gan | Nanchang | 奶奶、婆婆 | 
| Hakka | Meixian | 阿婆 | 
| Xingning | 阿婆 | |
| Huidong (Huizhou) | 阿婆 | |
| Qujiang | 娭姐 | |
| Xiaosanjiang | 阿婆 | |
| Changting | 娭姐 | |
| Pingyu | 阿婆 | |
| Ruijin | 奶奶 | |
| Shicheng | 婆 | |
| Shangyou | 奶奶 | |
| Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 阿婆 | |
| Liudui (S. Sixian) | 阿婆、阿嬤 | |
| Hsinchu (Hailu) | 阿婆 | |
| Dongshi (Dabu) | 阿婆、阿奶 | |
| Zhuolan (Raoping) | 阿嬤、阿婆 | |
| Yunlin (Zhao'an) | 阿媽 | |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 奶奶 | 
| Min Bei | Jian'ou | 嫲嫲、奶奶 | 
| Min Dong | Fuzhou | 依嫲 | 
| Min Nan | Quanzhou | 媽仔、俺媽、內媽 | 
| Xiamen | 阿媽、俺媽、內媽 | |
| Zhangzhou | 阿媽、姆媽、內媽 | |
| Taipei | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Kaohsiung | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Tainan | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Taichung | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Yilan | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Lukang | 阿媽、俺媽、內媽 | |
| Sanxia | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Kinmen | 俺媽、內媽 | |
| Magong | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Hsinchu | 阿媽、內媽 | |
| Malaysia | 阿媽、媽、內媽 | |
| Chaozhou | 阿媽 | |
| Wu | Shanghai | 阿婆 | 
| Suzhou | 好婆、好親婆、親婆 | |
| Wenzhou | 祖婆娘、祖婆、娘娘 | |
| Chongming | 阿婆 | |
| Xiang | Changsha | 娭毑 | 
| Shuangfeng | 奶奶 | |
- (old woman): 阿婆 (āpó)
