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.”
“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.