The essentials: 爸爸 (bàba, dad), 妈妈 (māma, mom), 哥哥 (gēge, older brother), 弟弟 (dìdi, younger brother), 姐姐 (jiějie, older sister), 妹妹 (mèimei, younger sister). Chinese kinship words encode age order and which side of the family - that’s why there are four words for “grandma and grandpa.”
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Take the free HSK level test“How do you say brother in Chinese?” is a trick question - you have to answer “older or younger?” Chinese family vocabulary maps the family with a precision English doesn’t have, distinguishing your father’s side from your mother’s and older siblings from younger ones. It looks intimidating on a chart, but the logic is consistent, and for everyday conversation you only need about fifteen words. Here they are.
The immediate family
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| dad | 爸爸 | bàba |
| mom | 妈妈 | māma |
| older brother | 哥哥 | gēge |
| younger brother | 弟弟 | dìdi |
| older sister | 姐姐 | jiějie |
| younger sister | 妹妹 | mèimei |
| husband | 丈夫 / 老公 | zhàngfu / lǎogōng |
| wife | 妻子 / 老婆 | qīzi / lǎopo |
| son | 儿子 | érzi |
| daughter | 女儿 | nǚ'ér |
老公 and 老婆 are the warm, everyday words for husband/wife - what couples actually call each other. 丈夫 and 妻子 are the neutral words you’d use in formal contexts.
Grandparents: why there are four words
Chinese distinguishes your father’s parents from your mother’s. The maternal side historically carried 外 (wài, “outside”) - a fossil of the traditional patrilineal family, still standard today.
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| grandpa (dad’s father) | 爷爷 | yéye |
| grandma (dad’s mother) | 奶奶 | nǎinai |
| grandpa (mom’s father) | 外公 / 姥爷 | wàigōng / lǎoye |
| grandma (mom’s mother) | 外婆 / 姥姥 | wàipó / lǎolao |
姥爷/姥姥 are the common northern (Beijing-area) terms; 外公/外婆 dominate in the south. Both are understood everywhere.
Aunts, uncles and cousins (the short version)
The full system has a dedicated word for nearly every relative - but for conversation, these cover most situations:
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| uncle (dad’s younger brother; also a friendly term for any older man) | 叔叔 | shūshu |
| aunt (mom’s sister; also any older woman) | 阿姨 | āyí |
| cousin (male, father’s side) | 堂哥 / 堂弟 | tánggē / tángdì |
| cousin (other cases) | 表哥 / 表姐 / 表弟 / 表妹 | biǎogē / biǎojiě / biǎodì / biǎomèi |
Notice the cousin words reuse the sibling words (哥, 姐, 弟, 妹) with a prefix - once you know the siblings, cousins come almost free. Kids also address unrelated adults as 叔叔 and 阿姨; it’s polite, not confusing.
Talking about your family
Family members are counted with the measure word 口 (kǒu, “mouth”) - literally counting mouths to feed. It’s one of the first measure words you’ll learn.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 我有一个姐姐。 | wǒ yǒu yí ge jiějie. | I have an older sister. |
| 这是我妈妈。 | zhè shì wǒ māma. | This is my mom. |
One grammar bonus: with close family you can drop 的 - 我妈妈 instead of 我的妈妈. Closeness makes the possessive optional.
The system in three rules
- Age order matters: 哥/弟 and 姐/妹 encode older vs. younger - there’s no plain “brother.”
- Sides matter: dad’s parents are 爷爷/奶奶, mom’s are 外公/外婆 (“outside” grandparents).
- Count with 口: 我家有四口人 - families are measured in mouths.
Learn the family - and keep it learned
Words like 奶奶, 姥姥 and 阿姨 are easy to mix up. Hanzijo teaches each one with native audio, color-coded tones and an exclusive mnemonic, then schedules reviews with SRS at exactly the moment you’d forget - across the full HSK 1–9 vocabulary, with widgets that keep new words on your home screen.
Learn Chinese with Hanzijo - FreeFrequently asked questions
Is there a word that just means “sibling”?
兄弟姐妹 (xiōngdì jiěmèi, “brothers and sisters”) covers siblings collectively: 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ “Do you have siblings?” For an individual sibling you still specify age order.
What’s the difference between 家 and 家人?
家 (jiā) is home/family as a unit; 家人 (jiārén) means family members as people: 我的家人都在北京, “My family are all in Beijing.”
How do I address my in-laws?
Traditionally you adopt your spouse’s terms - calling their parents 爸 and 妈. The formal words are 岳父/岳母 (wife’s parents) and 公公/婆婆 (husband’s parents).
Are these words on the HSK?
Yes - 爸爸, 妈妈, 儿子, 女儿 appear at HSK 1, siblings at HSK 2, and the extended family spreads across HSK 3–4. See the HSK levels guide.
Keep reading
Your Name in Chinese
Three honest ways to get one, and 100+ names with pinyin.
Chinese Measure Words Explained
Why it’s 四口人 and not just 四人 - the counting system.
60 Essential Chinese Phrases
Introduce your family in real conversations.
The 100 Most Common Chinese Words
The high-frequency core of everyday Mandarin.