太太

• Pinyin: tài tai
• Hanzi breakdown: 太 = 大 (big) + 丶 (dot) — meaning 'very' or 'excessively great'

Meaning

Wife; Mrs. A polite and respectful way to refer to a married woman or one's wife.

Used as both a title for married women (like Mrs.) and to refer to one's own wife. In modern usage, younger people may prefer 老婆 in casual speech, while 太太 sounds more polite and formal. Also used respectfully for another person's wife, as in 你太太.

Examples

1. 我太太今天不在家。 My wife is not home today.
2. 张太太是我们的新邻居。 Mrs. Zhang is our new neighbour.
3. 他太太做的菜非常好吃。 The food his wife makes is very delicious.

Usage Guide

Context: family, social introductions, polite speech

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 我太太在银行工作。(My wife works at a bank.)
• 王太太，您好！(Hello, Mrs. Wang!)

Don't Say

• 对年轻未婚女性说太太 (Don't address a young unmarried woman as 太太 — use 小姐 or 女士 instead)

Origin & History

A reduplication of 太 (tài, great). Originally a title of high respect for noble women, it gradually broadened to a polite term for any married woman or wife.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal