พี่สาว

Explanation

พี่สาว is formed from พี่, an older sibling or older familiar person, and สาว, which marks the person as female. Its basic meaning is “older sister.” The age comparison is based on the person whose sibling relationship is being described, not necessarily the speaker. For example, พี่สาวของเขา means a female sibling older than that person. The classifier for people, คน, is used when counting: พี่สาวหนึ่งคน means “one older sister.” พี่สาวคนโต refers to the eldest among two or more older sisters. The word can also describe a close older woman who is like a sister, but this is an extension of its core family meaning.

Usage

It is commonly used when describing a family, identifying someone’s relationship to an older sister, or talking about an older sister’s life or personality. มีพี่สาวไหม is a natural everyday way to ask whether someone has an older sister. It can also be used for a close older woman who is regarded as being like a sister.

Caution

พี่สาว primarily describes the relationship “older sister”; it does not simply mean any older woman. When directly addressing an actual sister or a familiar older woman, พี่ or พี่ followed by the person’s name is often more natural. น้องสาว means “younger sister,” while พี่ชาย means “older brother.”

1 older sister synonyms

• พี่

  phîi older sibling

  พี่ can refer to an older sibling or a familiar older person of any gender and is commonly used as a form of address. พี่สาว explicitly identifies the person as female and primarily means an older sister.