婆 (pó) - Old woman, elderly lady & mother-in-law

婆Tone 2

pó ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

婆 · pó

Old woman, elderly lady;

mother-in-law;

grandmother;

also used in certain compound words to denote something large, loose, or female-related.

Old woman, elderly ladymother-in-lawgrandmother

Usage highlights

GrandmotherMotherWifeWitch, sorceressMatchmakerGossipy woman

Synonyms

  • 母— mother, female
  • 妇— woman, married woman
  • 妪— old woman

Antonyms

  • 公— old man, grandfather, male
  • 翁— old man

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • My grandmother is very kind (外婆).
  • She has a good relationship with her mother-in-law (婆婆).
  • The witch in the story was old and mysterious (巫婆).
  • He married a wife from another country (老婆).

Collocations

  • Grandmother (maternal)(外婆)
  • Mother-in-law (husband's mother)(婆婆)
  • Wife (informal)(老婆)
  • Witch, sorceress(巫婆)
  • Matchmaker(媒婆)
  • Gossipy woman(长舌婆)

Idioms

  • Three aunties and six grandmothers(三姑六婆)
  • The mother-in-law's words are long, the daughter-in-law's ears are short(婆婆嘴长，媳妇耳短)
  • A wife's word is an arrow(老婆舌头是支箭)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally used to refer to elderly women, often with respect but sometimes with negative connotations in certain compounds.
  • In family relationships, 婆 specifically refers to mother-in-law (婆婆) or grandmother (外婆/奶奶婆).
  • The character appears in many compounds describing female roles, both positive (外婆) and negative (巫婆, 长舌婆).

FAQ