中国家谱指南 A guide to the Chinese family tree

The Chinese family tree may seem overwhelming at first, with its many specific terms for different family members and relationships.

But don't worry – we've got you covered! This guide will help you navigate the 家谱 (jiā pǔ), or Chinese family tree.

Chinese Family Tree

To start, let's learn how to say "family" in Chinese:

家庭
jiā tíng
family; household

家人
jiā rén
family member

亲戚
qīn qi
relatives

NOTE

To mention how many people are in your family, you can say:

我家有······口人。
Wǒ jiā yǒu……kǒu rén.
There are......people in my family.

The character "口" (kǒu) is a measure word used to count people in a family.

1. Immediate Family

01. Parents

Now let's take a look at your immediate family members, starting with parents (父母 fù mǔ).

母亲
mǔ qīn
mother

父亲
fù qīn
father

NOTE
These characters are more formal terms, most children call their parents "dad" (爸爸 bà ba) or "mom" (妈妈 mā ma).

02. Siblings

Now, let's take a look at siblings (兄弟姐妹 xiōng dì jiě mèi).

哥哥
gē ge
elder brother

弟弟
dì di
younger brother

姐姐
jiě jie
elder sister

妹妹
mèi mei
younger sister

03. Grandparents

Here are the Chinese names of grandparents.

爷爷
yé ye
grandfather (father's side)

外公
wài gōng
grandfather (mother's side)

奶奶
nǎi nai
grandmother (father's side)

外婆
wài pó
grandmother (mother's side)

2. Your Own Family

01. Wife and Husband

When you have your own family, these are the terms to address your partner:

妻子
qī zǐ
wife

丈夫
zhàng fu
husband

NOTE
In informal settings, you can use 老婆 (lǎo pó) for "wife" and 老公 (lǎo gōng) for "husband."

02. Children

孩子
hái zi
children

儿子
ér zi
son

女儿
nǚ ér
daughter

03. Other Relatives

Now, let's level up and learn how to address other family relatives.

01. Uncle

伯伯
bó bo
father's older brother

叔叔
shū shu
father's younger brother

舅舅
jiù jiu
mother's brother

The terms for uncles on the mother's side are the same regardless of age.

02. Aunt

姑姑
gū gu
father's sister

姨
yí
mother's sister

03. Cousins

As for other family relatives, the terms for cousins vary based on the side of the family:

Father's side:

堂兄 (táng xiōng) - elder male cousin
堂弟 (táng dì) - younger male cousin
堂姐 (táng jiě) - elder female cousin
堂妹 (táng mèi) - younger female cousin

Mother's side:

表兄 (biǎo xiōng) - elder male cousin
表弟 (biǎo dì) - younger male cousin
表姐 (biǎo jiě) - elder female cousin
表妹 (biǎo mèi) - younger female cousin

来源：That's Mandarin
编辑：万月英