‘空姐’ (kōng jiě) literally means ‘air sister’ and is the common colloquial term in Chinese for a female flight attendant. The character 空 (kōng) means ‘air’ or ‘sky’, referring to aviation, while 姐 (jiě) means ‘older sister’—a respectful and friendly term used to address or refer to young to middle-aged women in service roles. Though gendered in form, ‘空姐’ is widely used regardless of the speaker’s gender and carries connotations of professionalism, courtesy, and hospitality.

This term is informal yet standard in everyday speech and media; it’s more common than the formal, gender-neutral term ‘乘务员’ (chéngwùyuán, ‘cabin crew member’). It appears frequently in travel contexts, airport announcements, news reports about airlines, and casual conversations about air travel. While historically associated with women, usage is evolving as more men enter the profession—but ‘空姐’ remains the dominant term for female attendants, and ‘空少’ (kōng shǎo, ‘air brother’) is occasionally used for males.