chị gái

chị (“elder sister”) +‎ gái (“female”)

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ɣaːj˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ɣaːj˨˩˦]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [cɪj˨˩˨ ɣaːj˦˥]

(classifier người) chị gái

1. (chiefly literary) Synonym of chị (“elder sister”)

• Unlike em (“younger sibling”) which is gender neutral, chị (“elder sister”) and anh (“elder brother”) are gender-specific. This expression is therefore redundant by nature, but it can be used for acoustic or literary eloquence because it is disyllabic.

chị gái

1. (rather childish) Synonym of chị (“you, that sister over there who I'm assuming is a little older than me”)

• anh trai