Family Vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese | The Ultimate Collection

In China, the family unit is considered to be one of the most central institutions, and to this day is still largely understood through Confucian thought.

In Confucian thinking, the family contains the most important relationships for individuals and forms the foundations of all social organisation.

In other words, family is everything in China. I mean, family is everything everywhere, but in China, it really is.

The roles of husband and wife, parent and child, elder brother, and younger brother are clearly defined. Even today, despite its modernisation, China is still very much a patriarchal society. A husband and father are expected to exhibit dominance and lead the family, and giving birth to a boy is still seen as more of a prize.

Another thing to note about the Chinese family is that the Chinese kinship system is among the most complicated in the world. There is a separate designation for almost every one of a person’s kin based on their generation, their lineage, their relative age, and their gender.

Let’s first take a look at the older members of the family in China.

Older Folks

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Mum	妈妈	Māmā
Dad	爸爸	Bàba
Mother	母亲	Mǔqīn
Father	父亲	Fùqīn
Paternal Grandfather	爷爷	Yéyé
Paternal Grandmother	奶奶	Nǎinai
Maternal Grandfather	外公	wàigōng
Maternal Grandmother	外婆	wàipó
Paternal Grandparents	祖父母	zǔ fù mǔ
Great Grandparents	曾祖父母	zēngzǔfùmǔ
Paternal Great Grandfather	太爷	zēngzǔ
Paternal Great Grandmother	太太	tài tai
Maternal Great Grandfather	太姥爷	tài lǎo ye
Maternal Great Grandmother	太姥姥	tài lǎo lao
Paternal Aunt (father’s older sister)	姑妈	Gūmā
Paternal Aunt (father’s younger sister)	姑姑	Gūgū
Maternal Aunt (mother’s older sister)	姨妈	Yímā
Maternal Aunt (mother’s younger sister)	阿姨	Āyí
Aunt (sister-in-law of Mother)	姑父	Gūfū
Paternal Uncle (elder brother of Father)	伯伯	Bóbo
Paternal Uncle (younger brother of Father)	叔叔	Shūshu
Uncle (mother’s brother)	舅舅	Jiùjiu

It’s very important to respect your elders in Chinese culture, so giving the correct title is essential.

However, it’s also very important to correctly refer those who belong to your age group or younger to you.

As a foreigner, you’re given a lot of leeway on this. so don’t worry.

Compared to Western culture, Chinese people do not necessarily take refuge in courteous words when communicating with younger people.

This is not because the Chinese people disrespect or do not like the younger people in their family, rather they believe that if they are extremely polite with those who are younger to them, then the family may drift apart.

They have firm faith in the fact that the members of the family are well aware of one another’s value and regular displays of affection through language are a bit superficial.

Younger Folks

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Niece (brother’s daughter)	侄女	zhínǚ
Niece (sister’s daughter)	外甥女	wàishengnǚ
Nephew (brother’s son)	侄子	zhízi
Nephew (sister’s son)	外甥	wàishēng
Older brother	哥哥	Gēgē
Younger brother	弟弟	Dìdì
Older sister	姐姐	Jiějiě
Younger sister	妹妹	Mèimei
Son	儿子	Érzi
Daughter	女儿	Nǚ’ér

Cousins

Since the term ‘cousin’ is a relatively long word in the Chinese language, they generally refrain from it.

In place of it, they use words that directly refer to the relationship shared by the speaker and the individual. There are 8 varying terms that belong to the classification of ‘cousin’.

Let’s take a look at them.

Female cousin from Mother’s side (younger than you)	表妹	Biǎo mèi
Female cousin from Mother’s side (older than you)	表姐	Biǎo jiě
Male cousin from Mother’s side (younger than you)	表弟	Biǎo dì
Male cousin from Mother’s side (older than you)	表哥	Biǎo gē
Female cousin from Father’s side (younger than you)	堂妹	Táng Mèi
Female cousin from Father’s side (older than you)	堂姐	Táng jiě
Male cousin from Father’s side (younger than you)	堂弟	Táng dì
Male cousin from father’s side (older than you)	堂兄	Táng xiōng

Getting Married

Once you are married, you have invariably gained a number of new members in your family as per the
Chinese family culture. So, how would you address these people?

Brother-in-Law (older sister’s husband)	姐夫	Jiěfū
Brother-in-Law (younger sister’s husband)	美肤	Mèifū
Sister-in-Law (older brother’s wife)	嫂子	Sǎo zi
Sister-in-law (younger brother’s wife)	弟妇	Dìfù
Mother-in-law (husband’s mother)	婆婆	pópo
Mother-in-law (wife’s mother)	岳母	yuèmǔ
Father-in-law (Husband’s father)	公公	gōnggong
Father-in-law (Wife’s father)	岳父	yuèfù

Now as you crawl, walk, or skip through your married life, it’s crucial that you learn how to address your family in Mandarin, particularly your children’s and grandchildren’s generation.

Son’s wife	媳妇	xífù
Daughter’s husband	女婿	nǚ xu
Grandson (father’s side)	孙子	sūnzi
Grandson (mother’s side)	外孙	wàisūn
Granddaughter (father’s side)	孙女	sūnnǚ
Granddaughter (mother’s side)	外孙女	wàisūnnǚ
Grandson’s wife	孙媳妇	Sūn xí fū
Granddaughter’s husband	孙女婿	Sūnnǚxù

Other Family-Related Vocabulary

Family/Household	家庭	jiātíng
Family member	家人	jiā rén
Parents	父母	fùmǔ
Siblings	兄弟姐妹	xiōngdì jiěmèi
Children	孩子	hái zi
Relatives	亲戚	qīnqi
Friend	朋友	péngyou
Male best friend	死党	sǐdǎng
Female best friend	闺蜜	guīmì
Girlfriend	女朋友	nǚpéngyou
Boyfriend	男朋友	nánpéngyou
Fiance	未婚夫	wèihūnfū
Fiancee	未婚妻	wèihūnqī