Talking about family is a great way to practice your Chinese. To do so, you’ll want to learn some family vocabulary in Chinese first.

Follow this short video to learn 25 important Chinese words for family:

家 – jiā

family

父母 – fù mǔ

parents

爸爸 – bà ba

dad

妈妈 – mā ma

mom

兄弟姐妹 – xiōng dì jiě mèi

siblings

哥哥 – gē ge

older brother

弟弟 – dì di

younger brother

姐姐 – jiě jie

older sister

妹妹 – mèi mei

younger sister

配偶 – pèi ǒu

spouse

丈夫 – zhàng fū

husband

妻子 – qī zi

wife

孩子 – hái zi

children

儿子 – Ér zi

son

女儿 – nǚ ér

daughter

祖父母 – zǔ fù mǔ

grandparents

爷爷 – yé ye

grandpa (father’s side)

奶奶 – nǎi nai

grandma (father’s side)

姥爷 – lǎo yé

grandpa (mother’s side)

姥姥 – lǎo lao

grandma (mother’s side)

孙子 – sūn zi

grandchildren

叔叔 – shū shu

uncle

阿姨 – Ā yí

auntie

外甥 – wài shēng

nephew

侄女 – zhí nǚ

niece

 

The Chinese family tree can get quite complicated. For example, there are actually several different words for aunt, uncle, and cousin. I included the most common words for aunt and uncle in the video, but when it comes to cousins, there are just so many words! Check out our post on Chinese family vocabulary to learn all of those words and then some.