爷 is a Chinese character with HSK 2 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
爷 is a late character with no oracle bone or bronze attestation. The traditional form 爺 is a phono-semantic compound built on 父 (father) as the semantic element and 耶 as the phonetic. It was coined in the medieval period to write a colloquial kinship term.
Form evolution
Because 爷 is post-classical, its shape is stable across scripts. Traditional 爺 shows 父 on top with 耶 below. The simplified 爷 truncates 耶 to 卩, yielding the modern two-element character with 父 still capping a smaller base.
How the meaning evolved
The word first appears in Tang-dynasty texts as a familiar term for father, visible in Du Fu's line 耶娘妻子走相送 (father, mother, wife and children ran to see him off). Over time the sense shifted generationally upward, becoming the standard word for paternal grandfather (爷爷). It also developed honorific uses for masters, lords, and deities, as in 老爷 (master, old gentleman) and 王爷 (prince).
Cultural note
In Beijing and northern usage 爷 carries a layer of social weight: 大爷 can mean an elderly man, a senior uncle, or, with a certain tone, a swaggering tough guy. Deities are often addressed with 爷, as in 老天爷 (heavenly father) and 土地爷 (earth god), showing how the kinship term became a general marker of respected authority.
Basic info
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #818 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 爷
On the new HSK 2 exam
Studying for HSK 2? Keep 爷 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.