COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES FOR FAMILY MEMBERS IN CHINESE

In China, there are more complicated titles for family members and relatives than in Englishspeaking countries. In this article, you are going to learn what to call your family members or
relatives in Chinese! You may only use a few of these on a daily basis, but this is a
comprehensive list of the titles you may come across while learning Chinese.

Immediate Family
b ba: dad; f qinis the formal way to say b ba.
m ma: mum; m qnis the formal way to say m ma.
y ye: the dad of your dad (your paternal grandfather); z fis the formal way to
say y ye).
ni nai: the mum of your dad (your maternal grandmother); z mis the formal
way to say ni nai).

g ge: older brother

d diyounger brother
ji jieolder sister
mi mei: younger sister

Grandparents and Great Grandparents

lo ye: the mum of your dad (your paternal grandmother); wi z fis the
formal way to say lo ye.
lo lao: the mum of your mum (your maternal grandmother); wi z mis the
formal way to say lo lao.
ti y: the dad of your paternal grandfather or grandmother (your paternal greatgrandfather)
ti taithe mum of your paterrnal grandfather or grandmother (your paternal greatgrandmother)
ti lo yethe dad of you maternal grandfather or grandmother (your paternal greatgrandfather)
ti lo laothe mum of your maternal grandfather or grandmother (your maternal
great-grandparents)

Paternal Grandparents' Relatives

g ni naithe sister of your paternal grandfather
g ythe husband of the sister of your paternal grandfather
d ythe oldest brother of your paternal grandfather
d ni naithe wife of the oldest brother of your paternal grandfather dads.
If he is the second oldest, he is called r y, and his wife is called r ni nai,
and so forth.
y ni naithe sister of your paternal grandmother
y ythe husband of the sister of your paternal grandfather

 ji ythe brother of your paternal grandmother

(ji ni naithe wife of the brother of your paternal grandmother

Maternal Grandparents' Relatives

g lo lao: the sister of your maternal grandfather
y lo laothe sister of your maternal grandmother
y lo ye: the husband of the sister of your maternal grandmother
ji lo yethe brother of your maternal grandmother
ji lo lao: the wife of the brother of your maternal grandmother

Your Fathers Side

b boor d ye: the older brother of your dad
b m or d ningthe wife of the older brother of your dad
sh sh: the younger brother of your dad
shn shenthe wife of the younger brother of your dad
g gu the sister of your dad
g futhe husband of the sister of your dad

Your Mothers Side:

ji jiuthe brother of your mum
ji m: the wife of the brother of your mum
ythe sister of your mum
y futhe husband of the sister of your mum
bio mi fu: the husband of the daughter of the sister (or brother) of your mum or of
the sister of your dad, if the daughter is younger than you
bio ji futhe husband of the daughter of the sister (or brother) of your mum or of
the sister of your dad, if the daughter is older than you

Cousins
tng xingthe son of the brother of your dad, who is older than you
tng dthe son of the brother of your dad, who is younger than you
tng jithe daughter of the brother of your dad, who is older than you
tng mithe daughter of the brother of your dad, who is younger than you
bio gthe son of the sister of your dad, or the son of the brother (or sister) of your
mum, who is older than you
bio dthe son of the sister of your dad, or the son of the brother (or sister) of your
mumwho is younger than you
bio jithe daughter of the sister of your dad, or the daughter of the brother (or sister)
of your mum, who is older than you
bio mithe daughter of ther sister of your dad, or the the daughter of the brother (or
sister) of your mum, who is younger than you
bio sothe wife of the son of the sister of your dad or the wife of the brother (or
sister) of your mum

In-laws
so zithe wife of your older brother
d mi the wife of your younger brother
ji futhe husband of your older sister
mi fu: the husband of your younger sister

Nephews and Nieces

zh zthe son of your brother
zh nthe daughter of your brother
wi shngthe son of your sister
wi sheng nthe dughter of your sister

Your Husband's Family

gng gong: the father of your husband
p po: the mother of your husband
d bi zithe elder brother of your husband
d bi sothe wife of the elder brother of your husband
xio sh zithe younger brother of your husband
xio shn zithe wife of the younger brother of your husband
d g zithe husband of your elder sister
xio g zithe husband of your younger sister

Your Wife's Family

yu for zhng rnthe father of your wife
yu mor zhng mu ningthe mother of your wife
d ji zithe elder brother of your wife
d ji soor d jn zi the wife of the elder brother of your wife
xio ji zi the wife of your younger brother
xio jn zi the wife of the younger brother of your wife
d y zithe elder sister of your wife
xio y zithe younger sister of your wife
You may want to bookmark this page or come back when you come across a family title you do
not know. Just remember: knowing the exact meaning of the different ways to call family
members and relatives will put you one step closer to reading and speaking Chinese like a
native!
https://www.italki.com/article/183/Complete-List-Of-Titles-For-Family-Members-In-Chinese