chinese essay about my family

How to Introduce Your Family in Chinese

Almost everyone holds a special place in their heart for families . A family is those you’re bound with from birth, the ones who will always be there for you unconditionally. When we first meet someone, we like to be familiar with their family background . Knowing this provides valuable information on that person’s upbringing, which could shape their personality dramatically. Thus, it’s important to learn how to talk about your family in Chinese.

In China, family has great importance. 孝顺 ( xiào shùn ), which means being responsible and obedient to parents, is one of the best qualities a person can have. While reading this article, keep in mind that the Chinese view of parent-child relationships differs in some ways from that of Western countries.

Now let’s get right into today’s adventure!

Table of Contents

• Family Perceptions in China
• Family Member Terms and Other Basics
• Terms for Relatives
• Family Member Terms as a Married Person
• Endearment Terms
• Bonus – Interesting Expressions about Family Members
• Conclusion: How ChineseClass101 Can Help You Master Family Terms

1. Family Perceptions in China

The family institution in China is incredibly strong. China highly values family bonds , particularly parent-child relationships . When it comes to family in the Chinese culture, there are even traditions that say children should never travel far, and should always stay with their parents.

Even now, many men still live with their parents even after their marriage. In this case, the woman will have to move to the man’s house and live with his parents. This sometimes creates an unpleasant relationship between the wife and her mother-in-law , which is a situation you can see used as a stereotype in a wide variety of Chinese shows.

There are many different ways to name family members depending on your relationship to them. Age difference is the main factor in determining what to call a family member, since Chinese people heavily emphasize that youngsters should respect their elders.

One thing to keep in mind: Unlike in Western culture, it’s not respectful to directly call elders by their names. This matter will be introduced more thoroughly later in this article.

2. Family Member Terms and Other Basics

Here are some Chinese words for family members to expand your family in Chinese vocabulary! With just these basic words and phrases, you have a great place to start a simple conversation about family.

In Chinese: 我的家庭很幸福。 Pinyin: Wǒ de jiā tíng hěn xìng fú. In English: I have a happy family.

In Chinese: 我是在单亲家庭中长大的。 Pinyin: Wǒ shì zài dān qīn jiā tíng zhōng zhǎng dà de. In English: I grew up in a single-parent family.

• In Chinese: 母亲 Pinyin: mǔ qīn In English: mother
• In Chinese: 父亲 Pinyin: fù qīn In English: father
• In Chinese: 妈妈 Pinyin: mā ma In English: mom
• In Chinese: 爸爸 Pinyin: bà ba In English: dad

In Chinese: 我有个[姐姐]. Pinyin: Wǒ yǒu gè [jiě jie]. In English: I have a(n) [older sister].

• In Chinese: 哥哥/弟弟 Pinyin: gē ge /dì di In English: (older) brother / (younger) brother
• In Chinese: 兄弟姐妹 Pinyin: xiōng dì jiě mèi In English: sibling

Fun fact: The interesting thing about siblings in Chinese is that older and younger siblings have different terms, whereas English does not.

• In Chinese: 姥爷 / 爷爷 / 祖父 Pinyin: lǎo yé / yé ye / zǔ fù In English: (mother’s side) grandfather / (father’s side) grandfather / grandfather
• In Chinese: 姥姥 / 奶奶 / 祖母 Pinyin: lǎo lao / nǎi nai / zǔ mǔ In English: (mother’s side) grandmother / (father’s side) grandmother / grandmother
• In Chinese: 父母 / 家长 Pinyin: fù mǔ / jiā zhǎng In English: parents

Fun fact: The literal meaning of 家长 is the family’s leader .

• In Chinese: 祖父母 Pinyin: zǔ fù mǔ In English: grandparents
• In Chinese: 曾祖母 Pinyin: zēng zǔ mǔ In English: great grandmother
• In Chinese: 曾祖父 Pinyin: zēng zǔ fù In English: great grandfather

3. Terms for Relatives

Now, let’s work our way around the Chinese family tree, so that you’ll never struggle to find the right word for a family member!

• In Chinese: 亲戚/亲属 Pinyin: qīn qi / qīn shǔ In English: relative

Fun fact: There’s a fun Chinese term called 走亲戚 ( zǒu qīn qi ), which literally means “walk through relatives.” This is a tradition that Chinese people normally have during Chinese New Year , which is also known as the Spring Festival . It’s a holiday where families spend time together and catch up, just like Christmas in Western cultures. If some families can’t make the reunion, you’ll need to 走亲戚, to visit them at their place and spend some quality time. This shows that the Chinese extended family is just as important as the Chinese immediate family.

• In Chinese: 叔叔 Pinyin: shū shu In English: uncle
• In Chinese: 阿姨 Pinyin: ā yí In English: aunt

Fun fact: In English, youngsters can usually call their elders who have no relations Mr. or Ms. and such, and sometimes if an elder is close enough, they can even directly call them by their names. This is quite different in China.

The young generation have to call adults who are older a certain term depending on the age difference . Usually, you can call people who are ten to twenty years older “aunt” (阿姨) or “uncle” (叔叔). For people who are at a similar age as your grandparents, you’re required to call them “grandmother” (奶奶) or “grandfather” (爷爷).

• In Chinese: 堂兄弟姐妹/表兄弟姐妹 Pinyin: táng xiōng dì jiě mèi /biǎo xiōng dì jiě mèi In English: cousin

Fun fact: Since “cousin” in Chinese is a relatively long word, Chinese people usually don’t use the word “cousin.” Instead, they’ll use the terms that can show the direct relation. There are eight different terms under the category “cousin,” including: 堂兄 ( táng xiōng ) [male, father’s side, older], 堂弟 ( táng dì ) [male, father’s side, younger], 堂姐 ( táng jiě ) [female, father’s side, older], 堂妹 ( táng mèi ) [female, father’s side, younger], 表兄 ( biǎo xiōng ) [male, mother’s side, older], 表弟 ( biǎo dì ) [male, mother’s side, younger], 表姐 ( biǎo jiě ) [female, mother’s side, older], 表妹 ( biǎo mèi ) [female, mother’s side, younger].

• In Chinese: 外甥女 / 侄女 Pinyin: wài shēng nǚ / zhí nǚ In English: niece
• In Chinese: 侄子 / 外甥 Pinyin: zhí zi / wài shēng In English: nephew

4. Family Member Terms as a Married Person

Once you’ve married in Chinese culture, you’ve gained several new Chinese family members. Here’s what to call them all!

• In Chinese: 妻子 Pinyin: qī zǐ In English: wife
• In Chinese: 丈夫 / 先生 Pinyin: zhàng fū / xiān shēng In English: husband

• In Chinese: 女儿 Pinyin: nǚ ér In English: daughter
• In Chinese: 儿子 Pinyin: ér zi In English: son
• In Chinese: 姐夫 / 妹夫 Pinyin: jiě fū / mèi fū In English: brother-in-law
• In Chinese: 嫂子 / 弟妹 Pinyin: sǎo zi / dì mèi In English: (older brother’s side) sister-in-law / (younger brother’s side) sister-in-law
• In Chinese: 婆婆 / 岳母 Pinyin: pó po / yuè mǔ In English: mother-in-law (husband’s mother) / mother-in-law (wife’s mother)
• In Chinese: 公公 / 岳父 Pinyin: gōng gong / yuè fù In English: father-in-law (husband’s father) / father-in-law (wife’s father)

Fun fact: In Chinese culture, if you’re on good terms with your father-in-law and mother-in-law, and you feel comfortable, it will be good to call them “mom” or “dad,” just like your wife/husband does. This shows that you see them as your own mother or father. However, in many cases, it can be difficult to get along with your father-in-law or mother-in-law.

5. Endearment Terms

• In Chinese: 爹地 / 爸爸 / 老爸 Pinyin: diē dì / bà ba / lǎo bà In English: daddy
• In Chinese: 妈咪 / 妈妈 / 老妈 Pinyin: mā mī / mā ma / lǎo mā In English: mommy
• In Chinese: 老哥 / 老弟 Pinyin: lǎo gē / lǎo dì In English: (older) brother / (younger) brother
• In Chinese: 老姐 / 老妹 Pinyin: lǎo jiě / lǎo mèi In English: (older) sister / (younger) sister
• In Chinese: 老婆 / 媳妇 Pinyin: lǎo pó / xí fù In English: wife
• In Chinese: 老公 Pinyin: lǎo gōng In English: husband

Fun fact: 老 means “old” in Chinese, which is a very common thing to call someone who is close to you in Chinese. If you notice, lots of the nicknames mentioned above begin with a 老. In this case, 婆 and 公 each means “old women” and “old men.” By calling your other half this, it shows your commitment that you want to grow old with each other .

• In Chinese: 亲爱的 Pinyin: qīn ài de In English: dear
• In Chinese: 宝贝 Pinyin: bǎo bèi In English: baby
• In Chinese: 闺女 Pinyin: guī nǚ In English: daughter

6. Bonus – Interesting Expressions about Family Members

• In Chinese: 虎毒不食子。 Pinyin: Hǔ dú bú shí zǐ. In English: Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own son. Actual meaning: Parents will always treat their own children kindly, no matter how evil their nature is.
• In Chinese: 有其父必有其子。 Pinyin: Yǒu qí fù bì yǒu qí zǐ. In English: Like father, like son. Actual meaning: A son’s character is very likely to resemble his father’s.
• In Chinese: 不听老人言，吃亏在眼前。 Pinyin: Bù tīng lǎo rén yán, chī kuī zài yǎn qián. In English: If you don’t listen to elders’ advice, you will learn your lesson.

7. Conclusion: How ChineseClass101 Can Help You Master Family Terms

I hope you’re now more fascinated with the unique Chinese culture after reading this article about Chinese family. Continue to binge on learning the most native and entertaining Chinese lessons at ChineseClass101.com ; here, Chinese is no longer an excruciating language that’s hard to master. It’s a paradise where you can enjoy yourself even while studying!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how confident you feel naming your family members in Chinese now! And tell us common sayings or idioms about family in your own language while you’re at it! 😉 We look forward to hearing from you!

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Exploring Chinese

Emily Atherley

Family is an important part of every culture. Discussing who the members of your family are will likely be one of the first conversation topics that come up when you meet a native Chinese speaker. Armed with the vocabulary you’ll learn in this lesson and words you’ve already learnt, you’ll be ready to start sharing about your family.

Family Members

Supplementary vocabulary, family members in chinese.

In English, we usually just say “brother” or “sister” when talking about our siblings. We only add details like “older brother” or “younger sister” if we need to. But in Chinese, the word “brother” is expressed by two separate words. For instance, if you had both an older and a younger brother, you would always say “哥哥” when talking about the older one and “弟弟” when referring to your younger brother. Chinese also makes distinctions for grandparents based on whether they’re from your mom’s side or your dad’s side. In a later lesson you will learn about other extended family members, which gets more complex and interesting as there are five different words for both uncle and aunt.

Note that in casual conversation, “我的妈妈” is often shortened to “我妈”. The same can be done with “爸爸”, but do not shorten the other family member words in this way.

Key Expressions

Talking about my family.

Zhang Mei briefly describes different members of her family. Read and listen to the following sentences recalling vocabulary you learnt in previous lessons. Check your understanding with the English translation provided. Then, shadow what you hear by reading the sentences aloud.

你好，我叫张美。我家有五口人：爸爸、妈妈、弟弟、妹妹和我。我们有一只猫和两条狗。

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Měi. Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔkǒu rén: bàba、 māma、 dìdi、 mèimei hé wǒ. Wǒmen yǒu yì zhǐ māo hé liǎng tiáo gǒu.

我的爸爸叫张利。他的生日是十月三日。他最喜欢的颜色是蓝色。爸爸喜欢吃饺子，喜欢喝茶。

Wǒ de bàba jiào Zhāng Lì. Tā de shēngrì shì shíyuè sānrì. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì lánsè. Bàba xǐhuan chī jiǎozi, xǐhuan hēchá.

我妈的名字是黄静。她的生日是五月四号。她最喜欢的颜色是橙色。妈妈喜欢吃水果，喜欢喝咖啡。

Wǒ māde míngzi shì Huáng Jìng. Tā de shēngrì shì wǔyuè sì hào. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì chéngsè. Māma xǐhuan chī shuǐguǒ, xǐhuan hē kāfēi.

这是我弟弟。他今年十四岁。他最喜欢的颜色是黑色。弟弟喜欢吃披萨。他不喜欢吃蔬菜。

Zhèshì wǒ dìdi. Tā jīnnián shísì suì. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì hēisè. Dìdi xǐhuan chī pīsà. Tā bù xǐhuan chī shūcài.

这是我的妹妹。她今年十一岁。她最喜欢的颜色是紫色。妹妹非常喜欢吃蛋糕。她不喜欢吃鱼。

Zhèshì wǒde mèimei. Tā jīnnián shíyī suì. Tā zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì zǐsè. Mèimei fēicháng xǐhuan chī dàngāo. Tā bù xǐhuan chī yú.

English Translation

Hello, I’m Zhang Mei. My family has five members: dad, mom, younger brother, younger sister, and me. We have one cat and two dogs. My dad’s name is Zhang Li. His birthday is on October 3rd. His favorite color is blue. Dad enjoys eating dumplings and likes to drink tea. My mom’s name is Huang Jing. Her birthday is on May 4th. Her favorite color is orange. Mom likes to eat fruits and enjoys drinking coffee. This is my younger brother. He is fourteen years old. His favorite color is black. He likes to eat pizza. He doesn’t like to eat vegetables. This is my younger sister. She is eleven years old. Her favorite color is purple. My sister loves eating cake. She doesn’t like to eat fish.

What you’ve learnt

In this lesson you’ve learnt the basics needed to talk about your family. If you’re excited to learn even more vocabulary to better describe your family members, we’ll be delving into hobbies in the next lesson.

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My Family Posted by sasha on Jun 7, 2012 in Vocabulary

When chatting with people in any language, the subject of family is bound to come up. In order to help you understand how to talk about your family in Chinese, here’s a short post about mine, all in Chinese characters:

我家有九口人。爸爸，妈妈，四个弟弟，两个妹妹，和我。 在我家里，我是老大. 我今年二十六岁。 第一个妹妹 － 我比我妹妹大两岁。她住在我的老家。她跟她的好朋友一起住。她是大学生。她也有兼职工作。她在一个餐吧工作. 我第一个弟弟比我小四岁。以前他在美国海军陆战队工作。现在他也是大学生。他非常喜欢说唱音乐。 第二个弟弟 － 他今年二十一岁。他刚大学毕业，他的专业跟我一样。过了夏天以后，他打算搬到北京找工作。 第三个弟弟 － 他刚高中毕业，明年他也要去我另外一个弟弟上的那所大学上学。他的爱好是唱歌，他唱歌唱的特别好。 第二个妹妹 － 因为她今年十六岁了，所以可以开始学车了。她是高中学生。 第四个弟弟 － 他是中学生。 他最喜欢打棒球, 他每天都要看棒球比赛。我喜欢陪他去底特律看老虎队的比赛。 爸爸 － 我爸爸是医生。他是俄罗斯人。他喜欢听古典音乐，也喜欢游泳。 妈妈 － 现在我妈妈是大学生。她的专业是护理。我觉得她是超女人。最近她太忙了.

Now, to help you break it down a bit, here’s each sentence with characters, pinyin, and English:

我家有九口人。爸爸，妈妈，四个弟弟，两个妹妹，和我。 wǒ jiā yǒu jiǔ kǒu rén. bà ba, mā mā, sì gè dì di, liǎng gè mèi mei, hé wǒ. My family has nine people. My father, mother, four younger brothers, two younger sisters, and me.

I have a big family...

在我家里，我是老大. 我今年二十六岁。 zài wǒ jiā lǐ, wǒ shì lǎo dà. wǒ jīn nián èr shí liù suì. In my family, I’m the oldest. This year I’m 26.

第一个妹妹 － 我比我妹妹大两岁。她住在我的老家。现在她跟她的好朋友一起住。她是大学生。她也有兼职工作。她在一个餐吧工作. dì yí gè mèi mei – wǒ bǐ wǒ mèi mei dà liǎng suì. tā zhù zài wǒ de lǎo jiā. xiàn zài tā gēn tā de hǎo péng yǒu yì qǐ zhù. tā shì dà xué shēng. tā yě yǒu jiān zhí gōng zuò. tā zài yí gè cān ba gōng zuò. First younger sister – I’m two years older than my younger sister. She lives in my hometown. Now she’s living with her good friend. She’s a university student. She also has a part-time job. She works in a bar/restaurant.

我第一个弟弟比我小四岁。以前他在美国海军陆战队工作。现在他也是大学生。他非常喜欢说唱音乐。 wǒ dì yí gè dì di bǐ wǒ xiǎo sì suì. yǐ qián tā zài měi guó hǎi jūn lù zhàn duì gōng zuò. xiàn zài tā yě shì dà xué shēng. tā fēi cháng xǐ huan shuō chàng yīn yuè. My first younger brother is four years younger than me. Before, he worked in the US Marine Corps. Now, he’s a university student, too. He really likes rap music.

第二个弟弟 － 他今年二十一岁。他刚大学毕业，他的专业跟我一样。过了夏天以后，他打算搬到北京找工作。 dì èr gè dì di – tā jīn nián èr shí yí suì. tā gāng dà xué bì yè, tā de zhuān yè gēn wǒ yí yàng. guò le xià tiān yǐ hòu, tā dǎ suàn bān dào běi jīng zhǎo gōng zuò. Second younger brother – This year he’s 21 years old. He just graduated from university. His major is the same as mine. After this summer, he plans to move to Beijing and find a job.

My brother and I in Yangshuo, Guangxi Province.

第三个弟弟 － 他刚高中毕业，明年他也要去我另外一个弟弟上的那所大学上学。他的爱好是唱歌，他唱歌唱的特别好。 dì sān gè dì di- tā gāng gāo zhōng bì yè, míng nián tā yě yào qù wǒ lìng wài yí gè dì di shàng de nà suǒ dà xué shàng xué. tā de ài hào shì chàng gē, tā chàng gē chàng de tè bié hǎo. Third younger brother – He just graduated from high school, and next year he’s going to the same university as my other brother to begin his studies. His hobby is singing, and he sings incredibly well.

第二个妹妹 － 因为她今年十六岁了，所以可以开始学车了。她是高中学生。 dì èr gè mèi mei- yīn wèi tā jīn nián shí liù suì le, suǒ yǐ kě yǐ kāi shǐ xué chē le. tā shì gāo zhōng xué shēng. Second younger sister – Because she’s 16 years old this year, so she can begin learning how to drive. She is a high school student.

第四个弟弟 － 他是中学生。 他最喜欢打棒球, 他每天都要看棒球比赛。我喜欢陪他去底特律看老虎队的比赛。 dì sì gè dì di – tā shì zhōng xué shēng. tā zuì xǐ huan dǎ bàng qiú, tā měi tiān dū yào kàn bàng qiú bǐsài. wǒ xǐ huan péi tā qù dǐ tè lǜ kàn lǎo hǔ duì de bǐ sài. Fourth younger brother – He’s a middle school student. His favorite thing to do is play baseball. Every day, he wants to watch baseball games. I like taking him to Detroit to watch the Tigers games.

At a Tigers game!

爸爸 － 我爸爸是医生。他是俄罗斯人。他喜欢听古典音乐，也喜欢游泳。 bà ba – wǒ bà ba shì yī shēng. tā shì è luó sī rén. tā xǐ huan tīng gǔ diǎn yīn yuè, yě xǐ huan yóu yǒng. Father – My father is a doctor. He’s Russian. He likes listening to classical music, and also swimming.

妈妈 － 现在我妈妈是大学生。她的专业是护理。我觉得她是超女人。最近她太忙了。 mā ma – xiàn zài wǒ mā ma shì dà xué shēng. tā de zhuān yè shì hù lǐ. wǒ jué de tā shì chāo nǚ rén. zuì jìn tā tài máng le. Mother – Now my mother is a university student. Her major is nursing. I think she’s a superwoman. Recently she has been too busy.

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About the Author: sasha

Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.

hello..kindly need you help to send this article to my email..tku

Transparent Language:

@citi Hi, you can subscribe to the email version of the blog near the upper right of the page. Thanks for reading!

Hi Sasha, I like the way you put all Chinese, Pinyin and English together. It is very helpful for Chinese leaners. Thank you for being a hard worker! Just a comment, “superwoman” we say 女超人 not 超女人. “超女人“ usually means a woman is very kind and virtuous.

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Du Chinese Blog

How to talk about your Family in Chinese – HSK 1

Introduction.

In this HSK level 1 lesson we’re going to practice reading some simple phrases you can use when talking about family. The practice sentences in this blog are taken from a longer reading practice that you can find on the Du Chinese app or in the link at the end of this post. Lili is a character that you’ll find frequently in our stories. Is she a love interest of Ben? Or maybe just a friend? You’ll find out as you read through our lessons.

Tips for HSK 1 Level Readers

We hope that you enjoy all the stories and lessons we have at every HSK level. At an HSK 1 reading level, many students feel that they are limited in the reading material they can access. We’re happy to inform you that you can actually read tons of material! We have lessons rated “Newbie” and “Beginner” for all of you new Chinese learners. At HSK 1 you should be working towards 150 or more words in Chinese. As a beginner you may find that you need extra help with translations and pinyin to understand. That’s no problem! In fact you can hover over any word in the practice sentences to see translations for the word.

When you are using the Du Chinese app you’ll see that at the bottom of the screen you can just tap to turn pinyin on and off. You can also just tap to enable or disable English translations.

After you finish with the practice sentences below, there are links to the entire lesson and another lesson for you to enjoy. When you’re ready to really take your Chinese reading skills to the next level, download the Du Chinese app !

Reading Practice

To read the entire lesson you can click here

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Pinyin/My family

I have a happy family, which has 5 people, including my father, mother, grandfather, sister and me. My father is a worker, who can meet my little requests, such as to buy small toys for me. My mother accompanies me to learn every day. My grandpa is a math teacher, he requests me very strict. My sister is a student. I have to study hard and get good grades to repay them.

Wǒ yǒu yīge xìngfú de jiā , jiāli yǒu 5 ge rén, fēnbié shì bàba, māma, yéye, jiějie hé wǒ. Bàba shì ge gōngrén, néng mǎnzú wǒ de xiǎo yāoqiú, gěi wǒ mǎi xiǎo wánjù. Māma měitiān péi wǒ xuéxí. Yéye shì ge shùxué lǎoshī, tā duì wǒ hěn yángé. Wǒ de jiějie shì xuéshēng. Wǒ yào nǔlì xuéxí, qǔde hǎo chéngjì lái bàodá tāmen.

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How To Talk About (And Address) Family Members In Chinese

• Read time 12 mins

In Chinese culture, family holds a significant place. Knowing the right terms to address family members or introduce them to someone else can show your love and respect for your family.

Family relationships are considered precious and essential in Chinese culture, so it’s no wonder a lot of thought has gone into the different terms to used address various family members.

Plus, because family is highly regarded in Chinese culture, the subject of family often pops up in conversations.

Knowing family-associated vocabulary allows you to communicate better with native speakers on this topic.

In this guide, we’ll look at the right terms to use when addressing different family members .

I’ll also teach you some basic sentences to talk about family and simple ways to ask and respond to questions about family .

Let’s get into it.

Mandarin Chinese terms for addressing family members

There are many terms to address family members, which usually vary based on which side of the family they’re from, their age and their gender.

Let’s start with the Chinese terms for parents, siblings, spouses, and children before moving on to the terms for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

How to say “parents” in Mandarin

To say “parents” in Mandarin, the phrase you would use is 父母 (fùmǔ) .

Both characters will appear again below, and you’ll notice the logic behind them.

The term 父母 is only used to speak about your parents, not to address them directly.

To say “father” in Chinese, you can use the following:

• 父亲 (fùqīn): This is a more formal term typically used when speaking to other people about fathers.
• 爸爸 (bàba): This term can be used to address your own father, whether you’re speaking directly to him or about him to someone else you’re close to. It is a more affectionate and casual term. Native speakers usually shorten this to just 爸 (bà).

You can use these phrases to say “mother” in Chinese:

• 母亲 (mǔqīn): Similar to 父亲 (fù qīn), this phrase is the more formal term to use when talking about mothers.
• 妈妈 (māma): 妈妈 is what most people would call their mothers or speak of their mother when in a conversation with close friends or relatives. You can shorten this to just 妈 (mā).

How to say “siblings” in Mandarin

兄弟姐妹 (xiōngdì jiěmèi) is the phrase to use when talking about two or more siblings in general.

You can be more specific as well. Here’s how to say “brother” in Chinese:

• 哥哥 (gēge): Used to speak about or directly address an elder brother.
• 弟弟 (dìdì): Used to speak about or directly address a younger brother.

Here are some ways to say “sister” in Chinese:

• 姐姐 (jiě jie): Used to speak about or directly to an elder sister
• 妹妹 (mèimei): Used to talk about or directly to a younger sister.

All the phrases above can be shortened to just 哥, 弟, 姐, or 妹 in casual and friendly conversations.

How to say “spouse” in Mandarin

When you’re talking to someone else about your spouse, here are the terms you can use:

• 丈夫 (zhàngfū): This is a very formal way to speak of a husband (yours or someone else’s).
• 老公 (lǎogōng): This is the more casual and friendly way to speak of your husband, similar to the English slang “hubby.”
• 妻子 (qīzi): This is the more formal way to speak of a wife (yours or someone else’s).
• 老婆 (lǎopó): You can use this to talk about your wife in more casual settings, similar to the English slang “wifey.”
• 爱人 (àirén): 爱 (ài) translates to “love,” while 人 translates to “person.” Thus, this term refers to a spouse and can be used to talk about your husband or wife.

How to say “children” in Mandarin

孩子 (háizi) translates to “child,” and this can be used to talk about a son or a daughter.

The word for “son” in Mandarin Chinese is 儿子 (érzi) . This can be used to describe or talk about your son or someone else’s.

The term for “daughter” in Mandarin Chinese is 女儿 (nǚ’ér) . This is also used to describe or talk about your daughter or someone else’s.

You may notice that the Mandarin pinyin for 女 (nǚ) looks unique. Take note that how you pronounce “ü” is different from how you pronounce “u.” The two dots on top of the “u” make a significant difference!

The correct sound for “ü” is the “ee” sound in English, like in the English word “bee.” And as you pronounce the word “nǚ,” slowly round your lips. Don’t forget to implement the third tone as well.

How to say “grandparents” in Mandarin

祖父母 (zǔ fù mǔ) translates to “grandparents.” This is typically used more for speaking to someone else about your grandparents and not so much for addressing them.

But there are specific Mandarin terms to address them. This is where things may get a little tricky. For instance, the term used to address your grandfather on your dad’s side differs from that of your mom’s side.

Let’s explore each one!

Here’s how to say “grandfather” in Mandarin Chinese:

• 祖父 (zǔfù): This is the more formal term you can use to describe your father’s father (paternal grandfather).
• 爷爷 (yéye): This is the more casual way to describe or address your father’s father.
• 外公 (wàigōng): This phrase can be used to describe or address your mother’s father (maternal grandfather).

Here are some phrases to say “grandmother” in Mandarin Chinese:

• 祖母 (zǔmǔ): This is the more formal term to talk about your father’s mother (paternal grandmother).
• 奶奶 (nǎinai): This is the more casual term to talk about or address your father’s mother.
• 外婆 (wàipó): This phrase is used to describe or address your mother’s mother (maternal grandmother).
• 姥姥 (lǎolao): This is the more casual term to address your mother’s mother.

How to talk about other family members in Mandarin Chinese

In this section, we’ll look at how you can address or talk about your aunties, uncles, and cousins using Mandarin Chinese.

This is where things can get confusing, as the terms used to address these family members may differ based on which side of the family they’re from and whether they’re older or younger than your parents.

First, we’ll learn how you can address your uncles and aunties . Let’s split these terms into two categories—starting with the terms to address relatives on your dad’s side of the family, followed by that for your mom’s side.

Here’s a pretty interesting fact about Chinese culture; The younger generation would typically call an adult who is 10 to 20 years older 阿姨 (ā yí), which means “aunt,” or 叔叔, which means “uncle.”

This applies even if they are not actually related or part of the family, and it is one way to show respect to someone older.

Next, we’ll learn how to talk about your cousins from different sides of the family.

Not all these words are new; we’ve covered them above when learning the different phrases to address your siblings. The only difference is adding a 堂 in front of the term for a cousin on your dad’s side or a 表 for a cousin on your mom’s side.

Other family-related terms in Mandarin

Here are some other family-related terms that may be useful during conversations.

家庭 (jiātíng)

Translation: Family

You can use this term to address a room of family members.

Alternatively, this phrase is more commonly used to talk about your family as a whole when conversing with another person.

Here’s an example:

家人 (jiā rén)

Translation: Family member/family

This is a general term used to describe any family member. You can also use it when talking to someone about their family member or someone else’s family member if you don’t know how they’re related.

For example:

You can also use it to describe or talk about one or more family members without specifying a single one.

Here are some examples:

The difference between 家庭 (jiātíng) and 家人 (jiā rén)

You might have noticed that 家庭 (jiātíng) and 家人 (jiā rén) are very closely related. It may, at times, be confusing to tell one apart from the other.

Generally, 家庭 (jiātíng) is used when talking about a family as a whole indivisible unit (in a collective sense), while 家人 (jiā rén) is more often used when talking about one or more family members .

The **incorrect **way to say this would be:

• 我给我的家庭礼物。(Wǒ gěi wǒ de jiātíng lǐwù.)

That’s because your gift-giving is directed to family members in your family rather than to a whole family unit.

On the other hand, there are cases where you would use 家庭 instead of 家人. Here’s an example:

许多家庭受到洪水的影响。

The incorrect way to say this is:

• 许多家人受到洪水的影响。(Xǔduō jiārén shòudào hóngshuǐ de yǐngxiǎng.)

In the example above, 家庭 is used to refer to the many collective units of families that were affected by the flood.

How to Introduce Family Members in Mandarin Chinese

There are three new terms you can learn to introduce your family members to someone else.

They are as follows:

• 这是 (zhè shì): This is
• 他是 (tā shì): He is
• 她是 (tā shì): She is

他 and 她 are differentiated in writing but are pronounced the same.

If your mother happens to be standing next to you and you would like to introduce her to the person you’re speaking to, you can say 这是我妈妈 (zhè shì wǒ māmā). This means, “This is my mother.”

You can also use 他是 or 她是 as you would in English.

How To ask and respond to questions about family in Mandarin Chinese

If the topic of family is brought up, you can ask the following simple questions to get to know the other party and their family a little better.

An example of a response is also included as a guide on how you can reply to these questions.

You’d need a basic understanding of how to count in Mandarin Chinese for this response.

两个。一个哥哥和一个妹妹。

你和你的父母住在一起吗？

我的父母住在另一个城市。但是我每个月都会去看他们。

Learning the right terms to address family members in Chinese may take time

Practise these words and phrases.

Family members (especially the older generation) will appreciate it when you use the right terms to greet or address them.

This can be a great display of respect and care.

Do you know of any other interesting ways to talk about family using Mandarin Chinese?

If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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My family members Family (家庭) is important! Learn how to introduce your family by learning from this Chinese article. 我的家人 大家好，我的名字是小明，今年七岁了。 我家有五口人，爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和弟弟。 我的爸爸是老师，他教数学。我的妈妈也是老师，她教地理。 我的姐姐是一名大学生，弟弟还没上学。

Hello everyone, my name is Xiao Ming, I am seven years old this year. There are five people in my family. My father, mother, sister and brother. My father is a teacher and he teaches math. My mother is also a teacher, she teaches geography. My sister is a college student and my brother does not yet attend school.

问题 1 – 我今年几岁了？ a. 七岁 b. 四岁 c. 五岁 d. 六岁 2 – 我的爸爸妈妈做什么工作？ a. 学生 b. 医生 c. 护士 d. 老师.

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How to Address Your Family Members in Chinese?

Family plays an important role in every culture, and it is a topic you will certainly cover when learning any new language. As you might guess, there are many terms used to describe relationships in a Chinese family, which can be quite confusing because terms differ depending on the side of the family. So how do you refer to your family members in Chinese, and how can you introduce them to others? Let’s find out! First, we need to learn what to call each family member.

(Learn how to call your family members in Chinese through: The Family Song家族歌 (Jiāzú gē) ) The next step is to learn how to use the words we have just learned in the following simple sentence structures: Zhè shì wǒ(de) …. 1. 这是我(的) ……。 This is my …. Tā/tā shì wǒ(de) …. 2. 他/她是我(的) ……。 He/She is my …. Wǒ yǒu … gè …. 3. 我有 ……个……。 I have ……. Wǒ(de) … shì …. Wǒ(de) … shì …. 4. 我(的) …… 是 ……。 My … is a ….

Zhè shì wǒde māma. 这是我的妈妈。 This is my mom.

Tā shì wǒde gēge. 他是我的哥哥。 He is my elder brother.

Wǒ yǒu liǎnggè nǚ’ér. 我有两个女儿。 I have two daughters.

Wǒ érzi shì yīsheng. 我儿子是医生。 My son is a doctor.

1. What should you call your father’s sister in Chinese? A. “姑姑 (gūgu)” B. “奶奶 (nǎinai)” C. “媳妇 (xífù)” 2. If you want to tell others you have a younger brother in Chinese, you should say _____. A. “他是我的弟弟。(Tā shì wǒde dìdi.)” B. “这是我的弟弟。(Zhè shì wǒde dìdi.)” C. “我有一个弟弟。(Wǒ yǒu yígè dìdi.)”

Family Vocabulary in Chinese Chinese Quiz: How to Address Your Family Learn How to Introduce Your Family Members in Chinese Chinese for Kids

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