Each title tells you which side of the family a relative is on, and often whether the person is older or younger.
| Word | Who It Is | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| 爷爷yéye | Dad's father | |
| 奶奶nǎinai | Dad's mother | In Chengdu and Chongqing, some families say 婆婆 (pópo) for dad's mother. |
| 外公 · 外婆wàigōng · wàipó | Mom's father and mother | People say these in Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming. |
| 姥爷 · 姥姥lǎoye · lǎolao | Mom's father and mother | People say these in Beijing, Tianjin and Shenyang. |
Mom's parents get two pairs of words, and families really say both. People in the south say 外婆 more often, and 姥姥 is generally seen as a northern word. Listen to what the grandchildren call them and say the same.
| Your Parent's Sibling | Dad's Side | Mom's Side |
|---|---|---|
| Older brother | 伯伯 · 伯父bóbo · bófù | 舅舅jiùjiu |
| Older brother's wife | 伯母bómǔ | 舅妈 · 舅母jiùmā · jiùmǔ |
| Younger brother | 叔叔shūshu | 舅舅jiùjiu |
| Younger brother's wife | 婶婶 · 婶子shěnshen · shěnzi | 舅妈 · 舅母jiùmā · jiùmǔ |
| Sister | 姑姑 · 姑妈gūgu · gūmā | 阿姨 · 姨妈āyí · yímā |
| Sister's husband | 姑父gūfu | 姨父yífu |
姑姑 and 姑妈 both name a sister of your dad. People also write the two uncles by marriage as 姑夫 (gūfu) and 姨夫 (yífu), which sound the same as 姑父 and 姨父. In Taiwan and in Guangzhou, people say 姑丈 (gūzhàng) and 姨丈 (yízhàng). The Taiwan vs Mainland Mandarin page compares more words.
| Word | Who It Is | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| 大爷dàye | Dad's older brother | Heard in Beijing, Harbin, Shenyang and Jinan. It is also a polite word for an elderly man you do not know. |
| 大妈dàmā | Wife of dad's older brother | Heard in Beijing. It is also an affectionate word for an elderly woman you do not know, so say it only to an elderly woman. |
| 姨yí | Mom's sister | In Harbin, Jinan and Zhengzhou, people say it on its own. |
Put 大 (dà) before 伯 (bó), 姑 (gū), 舅 (jiù) or 姨 (yí) for the eldest, 小 (xiǎo) before 叔 (shū), 姑 (gū), 舅 (jiù) or 姨 (yí) for the youngest, and a number for the ones in between. Each family decides who counts as second or third.
| Word | Who It Is |
|---|---|
| 大伯dàbó | Dad's eldest brother |
| 二叔 · 三叔èrshū · sānshū | Dad's younger brothers, numbered by birth order |
| 小叔xiǎoshū | Dad's youngest brother |
| 大姑 · 二姑 · 小姑dàgū · èrgū · xiǎogū | Dad's sisters, eldest to youngest |
| 大舅 · 二舅 · 小舅dàjiù · èrjiù · xiǎojiù | Mom's brothers, eldest to youngest |
| 大姨 · 二姨 · 小姨dàyí · èryí · xiǎoyí | Mom's sisters, eldest to youngest |
Say 大姨 for your eldest aunt on mom's side, because 大姨妈 (dàyímā) is slang for a woman's period.
| Word | Who It Is |
|---|---|
| 堂哥 · 堂姐tánggē · tángjiě | Older boy and girl cousins, from dad's brother |
| 堂弟 · 堂妹tángdì · tángmèi | Younger boy and girl cousins, from dad's brother |
| 表哥 · 表姐biǎogē · biǎojiě | Older boy and girl cousins, from dad's sister, mom's brother or mom's sister |
| 表弟 · 表妹biǎodì · biǎomèi | Younger boy and girl cousins, from those same relatives |
The first character tells you how the cousin is related. 堂 (táng) is for the children of dad's brothers, and 表 (biǎo) is for the children of dad's sisters and of mom's brothers and sisters. The last character works as it does for your own brothers and sisters: 哥 (gē) is an older brother, 姐 (jiě) an older sister, 弟 (dì) a younger brother and 妹 (mèi) a younger sister.
People call out these titles to their relatives, and some of them also fit adults outside your family.
| Person | Title | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|
| A man about your dad's age | 叔叔shūshu | The same word as for your dad's younger brother. It is often a child's word. |
| A woman about your mom's age | 阿姨āyí | The same word as for your mom's sister. |
| A friend's mom | 伯母bómǔ | A polite title for the mother of a friend or colleague. |
| A man a little older than your dad | 伯父bófù | A formal, respectful title. |
| An elderly man | 爷爷yéye | The same word as for your dad's father. |
| A woman a little older than you | 姐姐jiějie | The same word as for your older sister. 哥哥 (gēge) works the same way for a man. |
| Who Says It | Line | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| You | 爷爷奶奶好！Yéye nǎinai hǎo! | Hello, Grandpa and Grandma! |
| Your grandma | 快坐，饭马上就好。Kuài zuò, fàn mǎshàng jiù hǎo. | Sit down. Dinner is almost ready. |
| You | 舅舅，您喝茶吗？Jiùjiu, nín hē chá ma? | Uncle, would you like some tea? |
| Your uncle | 好，谢谢！Hǎo, xièxie! | Yes, thank you! |
| Ask Yourself | Then Use |
|---|---|
| Is the person a grandparent? | Dad's side: 爷爷 and 奶奶. Mom's side: 外公 and 外婆, or 姥爷 and 姥姥. |
| Is it your dad's brother? | Older than your dad: 伯伯, and his wife is 伯母. Younger than your dad: 叔叔, and his wife is 婶婶. |
| Is it your dad's sister? | 姑姑, and her husband is 姑父. |
| Is it your mom's brother or sister? | Mom's brother is 舅舅, and his wife is 舅妈. Mom's sister is 阿姨, and her husband is 姨父. |
| Is it a cousin? | The child of your dad's brother: 堂. Any other cousin: 表. |
Pleco
Pleco is free to download and shows both simplified and traditional characters. Type a title in pinyin, with or without the tones, and it lists the matching words.
- Search a title by its characters, its pinyin or its English meaning.
- Draw a character with your finger to find it.
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- Zhuyin
Mobile
AllSet Learning's list of family words gives the pinyin, the English meaning and a level for each word.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Chinese (Mainland). You learn from Chinese (Mainland) you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Name a topic, like a Spring Festival dinner with your partner's family, and Poppy, your AI tutor, writes a lesson at your level.
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What Is the Difference Between 姥姥 (lǎolao) and 外婆 (wàipó)?
They name the same person, mom's mother. 外婆 is the word you hear more in the south, and 姥姥 is the one linked to the north. In 2018, a post on WeChat pointed out that a Shanghai second-grade textbook had changed 外婆 to 姥姥 in a story. Many people online objected, and the city's education board and the publisher promised to reverse the change and apologized.
What Is the Difference Between 伯伯 (bóbo) and 伯父 (bófù)?
Both mean dad's older brother. 伯伯 is the informal, friendly word, and 伯父 is the formal one.
Are These the Same Words in Cantonese?
Cantonese uses different words for many relatives. The Mandarin vs Cantonese page covers how the two languages differ.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wiktionary, 爷爷 (yéye): paternal grandfather; a term of address for an elderly man
- Wiktionary, 奶奶 (nǎinai): paternal grandmother
- Wiktionary, 外公 (wàigōng): maternal grandfather
- Wiktionary, 外婆 (wàipó): maternal grandmother
- Wiktionary, 姥爷 (lǎoye): maternal grandfather, chiefly Mandarin
- Wiktionary, 姥姥 (lǎolao): maternal grandmother
- Wiktionary, 伯伯 (bóbo): father's elder brother
- Wiktionary, 伯父 (bófù): father's elder brother; a title of respect for a man a little older than one's father; regional words table: Beijing, Harbin, Shenyang and Jinan 大爷 for a father's elder brother
- Wiktionary, 伯母 (bómǔ): wife of father's elder brother; a polite title for a woman about one's mother's age, especially a friend's or colleague's mother; regional words table: Beijing 大妈
- Wiktionary, 大爷 (dàye): chiefly Northern China, father's elder brother; a polite word for an old man
- Wiktionary, 大妈 (dàmā): wife of father's elder brother; an affectionate term for an elderly woman
- Wiktionary, 叔叔 (shūshu): father's younger brother; a term of address for a man around one's father's age or slightly younger
- Wiktionary, 婶婶 (shěnshen): wife of father's younger brother
- Wiktionary, 婶子 (shěnzi): wife of father's younger brother
- Wiktionary, 姑姑 (gūgu): father's sister
- Wiktionary, 姑妈 (gūmā): father's sister
- Wiktionary, 姑父 (gūfu): husband of father's sister
- Wiktionary, 姑夫 (gūfu): husband of father's sister
- Wiktionary, 舅舅 (jiùjiu): mother's brother
- Wiktionary, 舅妈 (jiùmā): wife of mother's brother
- Wiktionary, 舅母 (jiùmǔ): wife of mother's brother
- Wiktionary, 阿姨 (āyí): mother's sister; a form of address for any woman around one's mother's age
- Wiktionary, 姨妈 (yímā): mother's sister; 大姨妈 (dàyímā) is slang for a period
- Wiktionary, 姨父 (yífu): husband of mother's sister
- Wiktionary, 姨夫 (yífu): husband of mother's sister
- Wiktionary, 大伯 (dàbó): father's elder brother, especially his eldest brother
- Wiktionary, 二叔 (èrshū): second eldest among one's father's younger brothers
- Wiktionary, 三叔 (sānshū): third eldest among one's father's younger brothers
- Wiktionary, 小叔 (xiǎoshū): father's youngest brother
- Wiktionary, 大姑 (dàgū): father's oldest sister
- Wiktionary, 二姑 (èrgū): second eldest paternal aunt, second eldest sister of one's father
- Wiktionary, 小姑 (xiǎogū): father's youngest sister
- Wiktionary, 大舅 (dàjiù): mother's elder brother
- Wiktionary, 小舅 (xiǎojiù): mother's youngest brother
- Wiktionary, 二舅 (èrjiù): second eldest maternal uncle, second eldest brother of one's mother
- Wiktionary, 大姨 (dàyí): mother's eldest sister
- Wiktionary, 二姨 (èryí): mother's second eldest sister
- Wiktionary, 小姨 (xiǎoyí): mother's youngest sister
- Wiktionary, 堂哥 (tánggē): older son of father's brother
- Wiktionary, 堂姐 (tángjiě): older daughter of father's brother
- Wiktionary, 堂弟 (tángdì): younger son of father's brother
- Wiktionary, 堂妹 (tángmèi): younger daughter of father's brother
- Wiktionary, 表哥 (biǎogē): older son of mother's sibling or father's sister
- Wiktionary, 表姐 (biǎojiě): older daughter of mother's sibling or father's sister
- Wiktionary, 表弟 (biǎodì): younger son of mother's sibling or father's sister
- Wiktionary, 表妹 (biǎomèi): younger daughter of mother's sibling or father's sister
- Wiktionary, 哥哥 (gēge): elder brother, literally or figuratively
- Wiktionary, 姐姐 (jiějie): elder sister; a term of address for a woman not much older than oneself
- Wiktionary, 祖父 (regional words table: Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang and Harbin 爷爷 for a father's father)
- Wiktionary, 祖母 (regional words table: Beijing 奶奶; Chengdu and Chongqing also 婆婆 for a father's mother)
- Wiktionary, 外祖父 (regional words table: Beijing, Tianjin and Shenyang 姥爷; Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming 外公 for a mother's father)
- Wiktionary, 外祖母 (regional words table: Beijing, Tianjin and Shenyang 姥姥; Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming 外婆 for a mother's mother)
- Wiktionary, 姑丈 (regional words table: Taiwan and Guangzhou 姑丈, Beijing 姑父, for the husband of a father's sister)
- Wiktionary, 姨丈 (regional words table: Taiwan and Guangzhou 姨丈, Beijing 姨夫, for the husband of a mother's sister)
- Wiktionary, 姨母 (regional words table: Harbin, Jinan and Zhengzhou 姨 for a mother's sister)
- MDBG (CC-CEDICT), 舅妈 jiù mā: wife of mother's brother
- MDBG (CC-CEDICT), 姑妈 gū mā (reading)
- MDBG (CC-CEDICT), 姨妈 yí mā: mother's sister
- MDBG (CC-CEDICT), 姑父 gū fu
- MDBG (CC-CEDICT), 姨父 yí fu
- MDBG (CC-CEDICT), 婶子 shěn zi
- Sixth Tone, Much Ado About Grandma: Textbook Change Sparks Linguistic Debate (2018-06-22: 外婆 is more common in the south and 姥姥 is generally considered a northern term; a Shanghai second-grade textbook changed 外婆 to 姥姥 in one story)
- The China Project, How do you say "maternal grandmother" in Chinese? Depends who you ask (2018-06-21, updated 06-24: the Shanghai Board of Education and the Shanghai Education Publishing House promised to reverse the edit and apologized)
- Beijing News via Sina (2018-06-23): the publisher said the change served that grade's character teaching; the essay's author said she was not asked
- Pleco Chinese Dictionary on the App Store (free with in-app purchases; two free built-in dictionaries; search by characters, pinyin with optional tones or English; simplified and traditional; recordings of human voices, flashcards and camera lookup cost extra)
- Pleco, home page (iOS and Android Chinese dictionary with handwriting input, OCR, audio and flashcards)
- AllSet Learning, Chinese Vocabulary Wiki, Relatives (pinyin, English meaning and HSK level for family words)
