Chinese Family Terms: Why Every Relative Has a Precise Name

• 爷爷 (yéye) — father's father
• 奶奶 (nǎinai) — father's mother
• 外公 (wàigōng) — mother's father
• 外婆 (wàipó) — mother's mother

The character 外 (wài, outside) marks the mother's side.

Father's side

• 伯父 (bófù) — father's elder brother
• 叔叔 (shūshu) — father's younger brother
• 姑姑 (gūgu) — father's sister
• 伯母 (bómǔ) — wife of father's elder brother
• 婶婶 (shěnshen) — wife of father's younger brother

Mother's side

• 舅舅 (jiùjiu) — mother's brother
• 姨妈 / 阿姨 (yímā / āyí) — mother's sister
• 舅妈 (jiùmā) — wife of mother's brother

Cousins

• 堂哥 / 堂弟 (tánggē / tángdì) — male cousin on father's side, same surname (older / younger)
• 堂姐 / 堂妹 — female cousin on father's side
• 表哥 / 表弟 (biǎogē / biǎodì) — male cousin via the father's sisters or mother's side
• 表姐 / 表妹 — female cousin, same pattern

堂 cousins share the father's surname, and 表 cousins do not.

Marriage relatives

• 丈夫 / 老公 (zhàngfu / lǎogōng) — husband
• 妻子 / 老婆 (qīzi / lǎopo) — wife
• 公公 (gōnggong) — husband's father
• 婆婆 (pópo) — husband's mother
• 岳父 / 岳母 (yuèfù / yuèmǔ) — wife's father / mother
• 儿子 / 女儿 (érzi / nǚ'ér) — son / daughter
• 孙子 / 孙女 (sūnzi / sūnnǚ) — son's children
• 外孙 / 外孙女 (wàisūn / wàisūnnǚ) — daughter's children

Using kinship terms with strangers

Chinese speakers often use family terms for non-relatives as a form of respect and warmth: 阿姨 for an older woman, 叔叔 for an older man, 大哥 (dàgē) for a man about your age or older, and 老师 for a teacher.

Regional differences

Terms vary across regions and dialects, and some families use different words for grandparents. The list above is standard Mandarin.

Practice

1. Draw your family tree and label it in Chinese.
2. Introduce five relatives with a sentence each.
3. Note any regional terms in your family.
4. Look up unfamiliar terms in a dictionary.

Look up family terms with English Chinese Dictionary →