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Family members in Chinese
Chinese has a word for every relative. Tap your way from you to anyone in the family, like mother, then older brother, and get what to call them.
Start from you, then tap each step
Your mother’s older brother
The word in Chinese
Your mother’s older brother
舅舅
uncle (mother’s brother)
- As a chain
- 我妈妈的哥哥
Why Chinese has so many family words
English says “uncle” for four different people. Chinese names each one: which side of the family, older or younger than your parent, and related by blood or by marriage. Your father’s older brother is 伯伯 and his younger brother 叔叔 ; your mother’s brother is 舅舅 .
Father’s side or mother’s side
Words for your mother’s side often start with 外, “outside”: 外公 , 外婆 , and for a daughter’s children 外孙 . Cousins who share your family name (your father’s brothers’ children) are 堂, and every other cousin is 表.
Your father’s side
| Grandfather (father’s father) | 爷爷 |
|---|---|
| Grandmother (father’s mother) | 奶奶 |
| Uncle (father’s older brother) | 伯伯 |
| Uncle (father’s younger brother) | 叔叔 |
| Aunt (father’s sister) | 姑姑 |
| Aunt (wife of father’s older brother) | 伯母 |
| Aunt (wife of father’s younger brother) | 婶婶 |
| Uncle (husband of father’s sister) | 姑父 |
| Great-grandfather (father’s side) | 太爷爷 |
| Great-grandmother (father’s side) | 太奶奶 |
Your mother’s side
| Grandfather (mother’s father) | 外公 |
|---|---|
| Grandmother (mother’s mother) | 外婆 |
| Uncle (mother’s brother) | 舅舅 |
| Aunt (mother’s sister) | 阿姨 |
| Aunt (wife of mother’s brother) | 舅妈 |
| Uncle (husband of mother’s sister) | 姨父 |
Cousins
| Cousin (father’s brother’s son), older or younger than you | 堂哥 or 堂弟 |
|---|---|
| Cousin (father’s brother’s daughter), older or younger than you | 堂姐 or 堂妹 |
| Cousin (father’s sister’s son), older or younger than you | 表哥 or 表弟 |
| Cousin (mother’s brother’s son), older or younger than you | 表哥 or 表弟 |
| Cousin (mother’s sister’s daughter), older or younger than you | 表姐 or 表妹 |
Brothers, sisters and their families
| Older brother | 哥哥 |
|---|---|
| Younger brother | 弟弟 |
| Older sister | 姐姐 |
| Younger sister | 妹妹 |
| Sister-in-law (older brother’s wife) | 嫂子 |
| Sister-in-law (younger brother’s wife) | 弟妹 |
| Brother-in-law (older sister’s husband) | 姐夫 |
| Brother-in-law (younger sister’s husband) | 妹夫 |
| Nephew (brother’s son) | 侄子 |
| Niece (brother’s daughter) | 侄女 |
| Nephew (sister’s son) | 外甥 |
| Niece (sister’s daughter) | 外甥女 |
Children and grandchildren
| Son | 儿子 |
|---|---|
| Daughter | 女儿 |
| Daughter-in-law | 儿媳妇 |
| Son-in-law | 女婿 |
| Grandson (son’s son) | 孙子 |
| Granddaughter (son’s daughter) | 孙女 |
| Grandson (daughter’s son) | 外孙 |
| Granddaughter (daughter’s daughter) | 外孙女 |
In-laws
| Father-in-law (husband’s father) | 公公 |
|---|---|
| Mother-in-law (husband’s mother) | 婆婆 |
| Father-in-law (wife’s father) | 岳父 |
| Mother-in-law (wife’s mother) | 岳母 |
| Brother-in-law (husband’s older brother) | 大伯子 |
| Brother-in-law (husband’s younger brother) | 小叔子 |
| Sister-in-law (husband’s older sister) | 大姑子 |
| Sister-in-law (husband’s younger sister) | 小姑子 |
| Brother-in-law (wife’s older brother) | 大舅子 |
| Brother-in-law (wife’s younger brother) | 小舅子 |
| Sister-in-law (wife’s older sister) | 大姨子 |
| Sister-in-law (wife’s younger sister) | 小姨子 |
Calling people 叔叔 and 阿姨
Children call any man their parents’ age 叔叔 and any woman 阿姨, and adults use 哥 and 姐 with friends a little older. These are polite ways to address people, not family.
Questions
What do you call your aunt in Chinese?
It depends whose sister or wife she is. Your father’s sister is 姑姑 (gū gu), your mother’s sister 阿姨 (ā yí) or 姨妈, your father’s older brother’s wife 伯母 (bó mǔ), his younger brother’s wife 婶婶 (shěn shen), and your mother’s brother’s wife 舅妈 (jiù mā).
What do you call your uncle in Chinese?
Your father’s older brother is 伯伯 (bó bo), his younger brother 叔叔 (shū shu), your mother’s brother 舅舅 (jiù jiu), and the husband of an aunt 姑父 (gū fu) or 姨父 (yí fu).
What is the difference between 堂 and 表 cousins?
堂 cousins are your father’s brothers’ children, who share your family name. All other cousins are 表: the children of your father’s sisters and of your mother’s brothers and sisters.
How do you say grandma in Chinese?
Your father’s mother is 奶奶 (nǎi nai) and your mother’s mother is 外婆 (wài pó), or 姥姥 (lǎo lao) in the north.
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