How to address your relatives

So Yuan and I had a small discushhh at Starbucks yesterday.

 
As a Chinese, addressing your relatives becomes a complicated tedious task.

Because we have specific nouns that specify your relation with a relative.

 

So here I am, graduated, and I shall give you a 101 in addressing your relatives.

Let’s start with your dad.

 

Dad’s dad - 爷爷

Dad’s mum - 奶奶

Dad’s elder brother - 伯伯/ 伯父 （wife)- 伯母/ 伯娘

Dad’s younger brother - 叔叔/ 叔父 （wife)- 婶婶

Dad’s sister - 姑姑/ 姑妈/ 姑姐 （husband)- 姑丈

Dad’s sibling’s children - 堂哥/堂姐/堂弟/ 堂妹

 

Mum’s dad - 公公

Mum’s mum - 婆婆

Mum’s brother - 舅舅/ 舅父 （wife)- 舅母

Mum’s sister - 阿姨/ 姨妈/ 姨娘 (husband)- 姨丈

Mum’s sibling’s children - 表哥/ 表姐/表弟/表妹

 

Your elder sister’s husband is your 姐夫

Your younger sister’s husband is your 妹夫

Your sister’s kid is your 外甥儿/外甥女

Your 堂姐/堂妹 husband is your 堂姐夫/堂妹夫

Your 堂姐/堂妹 kid is your 堂外甥儿/堂外甥女

Your 表姐/表妹 husband is your 表姐夫/表妹夫

Your 表姐/表妹 kid is your 表外甥儿/表外甥女

 

Your brother’s wife is your 嫂嫂

Your brother's kid is your 侄儿/侄女

Your 堂哥/堂弟 wife is your 堂嫂

Your 堂哥/堂弟 kid is your 堂侄儿/堂侄女

Your 表哥/表弟 wife is your 表嫂

Your 表哥/表弟 kid is your 表侄儿/表侄女

 

Parent's 伯伯 - 伯公 (wife)- 伯公婆

Parent's 叔叔 - 叔公 (wife)- 叔公婆

Parent's 姑姑 - 姑婆 (husband)- 姑婆公

Parent's 舅舅 - 舅公 (wife)- 舅公婆

Parent's 阿姨 - 姨婆 (husband)- 姨婆公

 

Parent's 堂哥 -  堂伯 (wife)- 堂伯母

Parent's 堂弟 -  堂叔 (wife)- 堂表婶

Parent's 堂姐/ 堂妹 - 堂姑 (husband)- 堂姑丈

Parent's 表哥/表弟 -  表舅 (wife)- 表舅母

Parent's 表姐/表妹 -  表姨 (husband)- 表姨丈

 

I should stop right here.

Know that what I say is just in general, because each dialect have different names too. For example, I’m Hakka, I don’t call 伯母，we speak in Hakka and we call our 伯母 something that sounds like MehMeh.

 

If you think this is complicated.
I’m telling you these are just people directly related to you.

 

When you’re married, what are you going to call your spouse’s relatives?

That’s a question ain’t it?
For example, you call your husband’s brother’s wife 妯娌

 

Personally, I feel proud to be a Chinese and having know all these nouns.

这是华人尊重长辈的美德。

 

And of course, if you’re not Chinese, you can just stick to

1. Uncle
2. Aunt
3. Niece
4. Nephew
5. In-laws
6. Cousins
7. Cousins
8. Cousins
9. Cousins
10. Cousins!

 

Before I go, Yuan is my 表姐! (: