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 (jiāpǔ), or Chinese family tree 👫‍

Chinese Family Tree‍‍‍

              

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

家庭

jiātíng

family; household

家人

jiārén

family member‍

亲戚

qīnqi

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.

01. Immediate Family

01. Parents

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

‍

母亲

mǔqīn

mother

父亲

fùqīn

father‍‍‍

 NOTE.

These characters are more formal terms, most children call their parents "dad" (爸爸 bàba) or "mom" (妈妈 māma).

02. Siblings

Now, let's take a look at siblings (兄弟姐妹 xiōngdì jiěmèi).

哥哥

gēge

elder brother

弟弟

dìdi

younger brother

姐姐‍‍‍‍‍

jiějie

elder sister

妹妹

mèimei

younger sister

03. Grandparents

Here are the Chinese names of grandparents.‍‍‍

爷爷

yéye

grandfather (father's side)

外公

wàigōng

grandfather (mother's side)

奶奶

nǎinai

grandmother (father's side)

外婆

wàipó

grandmother (mother's side)

02. Your Own Family

01. Wife and Husband

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

妻子

qīzi

wife‍‍

丈夫

zhàngfu‍

husband

 NOTE.

In informal settings, you can use 老婆 (lǎopó) for "wife" and 老公 (lǎogōng) for "husband."

02. Children

孩子

háizi

children

‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

儿子

érzi

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

bóbo

father's older brother

叔叔

shūshu

father's younger brother

舅舅

jiùjiu

mother's brother

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

02. Aunt

姑姑

gūgu

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 (tángxiōng) - elder male cousin

• 堂弟 (tángdì) - younger male cousin

• 堂姐 (tángjiě) - elder female cousin

• 堂妹 (tángmèi) - younger female cousin

👩‍🦰Mother's side:

• 表兄 (biǎoxiōng) - elder male cousin

• 表弟 (biǎodì) - younger male cousin

• 表姐 (biǎojiě) - elder female cousin

• 表妹 (biǎomèi) - younger female cousin

Bonus

              

Quickly find out about family relationships with just a few clicks:

| Chinese Family Tree Calculator

Practice with Teachers

              

To discuss the Chinese family tree‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

with Chinese teachers and learn more,

book a free trial class with That's Mandarin 👇

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