Chinese by Topic
Family Chinese — Kinship Terms, Relatives & Relationships
Chinese has one of the most detailed kinship systems in any language. Unlike English, where “uncle” covers all parents’ brothers, Chinese distinguishes paternal from maternal, older from younger, and blood from in-law — with a unique word for each.
Immediate Family (家人 jiārén)
The core family unit. Note that Chinese distinguishes older siblings from younger siblings — there is no single word for “brother” or “sister” without specifying relative age.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爸爸 | bàba | father / dad | Informal; formal: 父亲 fùqīn |
| 妈妈 | māma | mother / mum | Informal; formal: 母亲 mǔqīn |
| 哥哥 | gēge | older brother | |
| 姐姐 | jiějie | older sister | |
| 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother | |
| 妹妹 | mèimei | younger sister | |
| 儿子 | érzi | son | |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter | |
| 丈夫 | zhàngfu | husband | Informal: 老公 lǎogōng |
| 妻子 | qīzi | wife | Informal: 老婆 lǎopo |
Paternal Relatives (父亲那边 fùqīn nà biān)
Relatives on your father’s side use a completely different set of terms from the maternal side. Even “uncle” splits into two words: 伯伯 (bóbo) for father’s older brother and 叔叔 (shūshu) for father’s younger brother. Cousins on the paternal side share your surname and are called 堂 (táng) cousins.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爷爷 | yéye | paternal grandfather | Father's father |
| 奶奶 | nǎinai | paternal grandmother | Father's mother |
| 伯伯 | bóbo | father's older brother (uncle) | Also: 伯父 bófù |
| 叔叔 | shūshu | father's younger brother (uncle) | |
| 姑姑 | gūgu | father's sister (aunt) | Also: 姑妈 gūmā |
| 堂兄弟 | táng xiōngdì | paternal male cousins | Same surname cousins |
| 堂姐妹 | táng jiěmèi | paternal female cousins | Same surname cousins |
Maternal Relatives (母亲那边 mǔqīn nà biān)
The character 外 (wài, meaning “outside”) appears in many maternal-side terms — 外公, 外婆, 外孙 — reflecting the traditional view that married daughters “belong to” their husband’s family. Cousins on the maternal side have a different surname and are called 表 (biǎo) cousins.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 外公 | wàigōng | maternal grandfather | Mother's father |
| 外婆 | wàipó | maternal grandmother | Mother's mother |
| 舅舅 | jiùjiu | mother's brother (uncle) | |
| 阿姨 | āyí | mother's sister (aunt) | Also used for any woman of mother's age |
| 表兄弟 | biǎo xiōngdì | maternal male cousins | Different surname cousins |
| 表姐妹 | biǎo jiěmèi | maternal female cousins | Different surname cousins |
In-Laws & Extended Family
In-law terms differ depending on whether you are the husband or the wife. A wife calls her husband’s parents 公公 and 婆婆, while a husband calls his wife’s parents 岳父 and 岳母. Grandchildren are also distinguished by whether they come through a son (孙) or a daughter (外孙).
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 公公 | gōnggong | husband's father (father-in-law) | Used by wife |
| 婆婆 | pópo | husband's mother (mother-in-law) | Used by wife |
| 岳父 | yuèfù | wife's father (father-in-law) | Used by husband |
| 岳母 | yuèmǔ | wife's mother (mother-in-law) | Used by husband |
| 女婿 | nǚxu | son-in-law | |
| 儿媳妇 | érxífù | daughter-in-law | |
| 孙子 | sūnzi | grandson (son's son) | |
| 孙女 | sūnnǚ | granddaughter (son's daughter) | |
| 外孙 | wàisūn | grandson (daughter's son) | |
| 外孙女 | wàisūnnǚ | granddaughter (daughter's daughter) |
Family Conversation Phrases
Asking about someone’s family is a common conversation starter in Chinese. The measure word for family members is 口 (kǒu, literally “mouth”), used specifically when counting people in a household.
你家有几口人？
Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?
How many people are in your family?
我家有四口人。
Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén.
There are four people in my family.
你有兄弟姐妹吗？
Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?
Do you have siblings?
我是独生子（独生女）。
Wǒ shì dúshēngzǐ (dúshēngnǚ).
I am an only child (son / daughter).
你结婚了吗？
Nǐ jiéhūn le ma?
Are you married?
我还没结婚。
Wǒ hái méi jiéhūn.
I'm not married yet.
你有孩子吗？
Nǐ yǒu háizi ma?
Do you have children?
我有一个儿子和一个女儿。
Wǒ yǒu yī gè érzi hé yī gè nǚ'ér.
I have one son and one daughter.
你爸爸做什么工作？
Nǐ bàba zuò shénme gōngzuò?
What does your father do for work?
这是我的家人。
Zhè shì wǒ de jiārén.
This is my family.
我很想家。
Wǒ hěn xiǎng jiā.
I really miss home / I'm homesick.
他们住在一起。
Tāmen zhù zài yīqǐ.
They live together.
我爷爷奶奶身体很好。
Wǒ yéye nǎinai shēntǐ hěn hǎo.
My grandparents (paternal) are in good health.
Cultural Context: Family in Chinese Society
- Filial piety (孝 xiào) is one of the most important values in Chinese culture. Respect for parents and elders is not optional — it is a moral duty deeply embedded in Confucian ethics. Adult children are expected to care for ageing parents, and disobedience to parents is seen as a serious character flaw.
- Chinese names place the family name (姓 xìng) first. For example, in 李明 (Lǐ Míng), 李 is the surname and 明 is the given name. There are about 100 common Chinese surnames, and the most frequent — 王 (Wáng), 李 (Lǐ), 张 (Zhāng) — are each shared by tens of millions of people.
- Generational names (辈分 bèifèn) are traditional: siblings and cousins of the same generation share a character in their given names. For instance, three brothers might be named 建国, 建军, 建华 — all sharing 建 (jiàn). This practice is declining in modern China but still exists in many families.
- Chinese distinguishes between relatives with extraordinary precision because historically, inheritance, mourning obligations, and social duties differed depending on the exact relationship. A 伯伯 (father's older brother) held more authority than a 叔叔 (father's younger brother) in traditional family hierarchy.
- The term 家 (jiā) means both 'family' and 'home' — reflecting how deeply intertwined these concepts are in Chinese culture. Multi-generational households were the norm for centuries, and while nuclear families are now more common in cities, grandparents helping raise grandchildren remains widespread.
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