What Do You Call Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles in Taiwan Mandarin?

Each relative in a Taiwanese family is greeted with a title that says how you are related.

Each family decides which grandparents get these words, so listen for the word the grandchildren use and say the same.

In the Ministry of Education's Mandarin dictionary, 外公 also goes by 阿公, and 外婆 also goes by 阿嬤 and 阿婆. Its entries for 祖父 (zǔfù) and 祖母 (zǔmǔ) now cover a mother's parents too. Wiktionary's table of regional words gives Taiwan two words for each grandparent: 爺爺 or 阿公, 奶奶 or 阿嬤, 外公 or 阿公, and 外婆 or 阿嬤.

曾祖父 and 曾祖母 are the dictionary words. In many families people say 阿祖 (āzǔ) to a great-grandparent, a Hokkien word that the Ministry's Hokkien dictionary lists.

Put 大 (dà) before the first character of the title for the eldest and 小 (xiǎo) for the youngest, and a number for the ones in between. The number follows the birth order of the brothers or sisters, and families count in their own way.

大姑 and 小姑 also name a husband's older and younger sister, and 小舅 and 小姨 also name a wife's younger brother and sister.

The first character tells you which side the cousin comes from. 堂 (táng) is for the children of your father's brothers. 表 (biǎo) is for the children of your father's sisters and of your mother's brothers and sisters. The last character says whether the cousin is older or younger and a boy or a girl, just like the words for your own brothers and sisters.

People also write 姊姊 as 姐姐 (jiějie), and the dictionary lists both. Children call a man or woman a little older than them, who is not a relative, 哥哥 or 姊姊. Adults add a surname, as in 楊姐 (Yáng jiě), or use 大哥 (dàgē) and 大姊 (dàjiě), the dictionary's polite titles for an older man or woman of your own generation.

A title is enough when you greet them, and a surname before it is common, as in 王叔叔 (Wáng shúshu), the dictionary's own example. While you are dating, 叔叔 and 阿姨 are the usual titles. Your friend or partner can tell you which one the family prefers. For what to say at the door and at the table, see Taiwan Mandarin Phrases for Family Visits.

A wife says 公公 and 婆婆 for her husband's parents, and a husband says 岳父 and 岳母 for his wife's parents. After a wedding, couples are often asked to call each other's parents 爸爸 (bàba) and 媽媽 (māma), a change called 改口 (gǎikǒu). Some couples keep a plainer title, so ask what they like.

To hear titles said in a family scene, watch the TaiwanPlus episode Meeting the Family! from Mandarin on the Go. Its vocabulary list sits under the video.