老婆

• Pinyin: lǎo po
• Hanzi breakdown: 老 = 土 (earth) + 人 (person) + 匕 (age indicator); 婆 = 波 (wave, phonetic) + 女 (woman radical)

Meaning

Wife (colloquial). An informal, affectionate term used by a husband to refer to or address his wife.

老婆 is the everyday colloquial equivalent of 妻子, the formal word for wife. It is warm and intimate, used widely in spoken Chinese and on social media. Like 老公, it has been playfully adopted in internet culture by fans who refer to their favourite female celebrities as 老婆. In formal writing or introductions, 妻子 or 太太 is preferred.

Examples

1. 我老婆做的红烧肉是我吃过最好吃的。 The braised pork my wife makes is the most delicious I've ever eaten.
2. 老婆，你帮我看一下这件衬衫好不好看？ Honey, can you have a look and tell me if this shirt looks good?
3. 他老婆是一名护士，工作非常忙。 His wife is a nurse and her work is extremely busy.

Usage Guide

Context: family, everyday, social media

Tone: affectionate

Do Say

• 我老婆最喜欢吃甜食，每次生日我都给她买蛋糕。(My wife loves sweet things — I always buy her a cake on her birthday.)
• 老婆，今天我来做饭，你休息一下。(Honey, I'll cook today — you take a rest.)

Don't Say

• 尊敬的老师，我老婆明天来接孩子 (Don't use 老婆 in formal or written contexts — use 妻子 or 太太 instead; 老婆 is strictly colloquial)

Origin & History

老 (old, familiar) + 婆 (older woman; originally grandmother or old woman). The combination softened over time into a familiar term of endearment for a wife, widely used across China in everyday speech.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal