family members in Chinese (A Family Tree)

[helen]

How to talk about family members in Chinese (A Family Tree)

How many times have you been in the middle of a conversation with a Chinese person only to find yourself unable to find the right name for your father's oldest sister or mother's second youngest brother?


爸爸，妈妈 bàba, māma

Dad, Mom


兄弟姐妹 xiōngdìjiěmèi

Siblings

哥哥，弟弟gēge, dìdi

Brothers (older, younger)

姐姐，妹妹jiějie, mèimei

Sisters (older, younger)


爷爷，奶奶yéye, nǎinai

Grandpa, Grandma: paternal side


老爷，姥姥 AND/OR 外公，外婆lǎoye, lǎolao AND/OR wàigōng, wàipó

Grandpa and Grandma: maternal side


Aunts & Uncles


舅舅，舅妈jiùjiu, jiùmā

Uncle and Aunt: maternal uncle and his wife


叔叔，婶婶shūshu, shěnshen

Uncle and Aunt: paternal uncle (father's younger brother)and his wife


大伯，大娘dàbó, dàniáng

Uncle and Aunt: paternal uncle (father's older brother) and his wife


姑姑，姑父gūgū, gūfu

Aunt and Uncle: paternal aunts (father's sisters) and their husbands

大姑，二姑，小姑dàgū, èrgū, sāngū

Father's sisters (eldest-youngest)


姑姥姥gūlǎolao

Great-Aunt (mother's father's younger or older sisters)


姨妈yímā

Maternal Aunts (mother's older or younger sisters)

大姨，二姨，小姨dàyí, èryí, xiǎoyí

Mother's sisters (eldest-youngest)


姨姥姥yílǎolao

Maternal Great-Aunt (mother's mother's younger or older sister)


Brothers and Sisters-in-Law


小叔子，弟媳/弟妹xiǎoshūzi，dìxí/ dìmèi

Brother and sister-in-law (Husband's younger brother) and his wife


大伯，嫂子dàbó ，sǎozi

Brother and sister-in-law (Husband's older brother) and his wife



小姑子xiǎogūzi

Sister-in-law (husband's younger sister)


studymorechinese.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-talk-about-family-in-chinese-a-family-tree

[douglaslam]

Helen, it is all very well if you're from the north or a Mandarin speaker. Cantonese? It is incongruous, awkward to say the least. Cantonese must stand up and be counted. Douglas

[tyuti1668]

Hokkien

[tyuti1668]

Mandarin/ Cantonese

[Doug 周]

My resources (as a non Chinese speaker, I still have to get it right!):

Chinese Family Relationships^click

Chinese Kinship Terms^click

Something more academic:
The Cultural Connotations and Communicative Functions of Chinese Kinship Terms^click

[Doug 周]

[albertcheong]

Hi! tiz might b v useful: www.kwanfamily.info/culture/familytitles_table.php
take care! Have A Nice Day.........

[helen]

here's the family tree in cantonese

[laohuaqiao]

In Taishanese (and other parts of Siyi too):
paternal grandmother is ngin 人 or ah ngin 阿人which is short for on ngin 安人. A woman also calls her mother-in-law the same. In that sense it has the same usage as Mandarin nainai 奶奶.

paternal great grandmother is ah bak 阿白 or bak po 白婆;
paternal great grandfather is bak gung 白公;
bak 白 means white;

paternal great, great grandmother is chiek po 赤婆
paternal great, great grandfather is chiek gung 赤公
Chiek 赤 means red.

The confusing word in Taishanese relations is 长. When it is pronounced as jiang, it means the eldest as jiang doi 长仔, eldest son. But when it is pronounced as qiang, as in qiang gu or qiang shuk 长姑/长叔, it means youngest aun or uncle (father's youngest sister or brother).

[editankl]

Question: What to call paternal grandmother's siblings and their spouses? I couldn't find it at Kwan's family website and other websites.

[liuyao]

舅公 would be a universal term for paternal grandmother's brothers across dialects. His wife would be 舅婆 (I suspect other versions may contain the word 妗).

I'm actually only sure of the terminology in Beijing area, which is 舅爺爺 and 舅奶奶. Paternal grandmother's sisters would be 姨奶奶, and her husband would be 姨爺爺. I would guess a more universal term for paternal grandmother's sister could be 姨婆, and her husband would be 姨公.