what would your cousins child be to you
If you lot come from an Asian family unit, you lot've probably attended your off-white share of family gatherings, dinners, functions, etc. You've probably besides experienced a situation like this at least once in your life:
Mom: greet your family members.
You lot: *panicking because you don't know how to address whatsoever of them* uHM…
Can't relate? Either you've mastered the art of Chinese kinship terms (in which case, congratulations!), or your native linguistic communication doesn't take the same kinship system (or ane simply as confusing) every bit Chinese.
For those of you in the second category, here'southward what'southward going on: A kinship system determines what y'all call your relatives — recollect a family tree, but with all the relatives a person could maybe have and the terms past which they'd refer to them. Chinese uses a different kinship system than English. The Chinese kinship organization is classified as a descriptive (or Sudanese) kinship system. This ways that you refer to each of your relatives with a different kin term (there are at least eight different terms just to refer to your various cousins).
Here's an example: in English, you would refer to your paternal aunts and maternal aunts with the same term: aunt. But in Chinese, the term for paternal aunt is unlike from the term for maternal aunt. Take that concept, and utilise it to all the other relatives yous have — aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and everyone in between. That's a lot of terms!
Recently, I attended a family unit dinner to celebrate my paternal grandfather'due south birthday. Naturally, all of my father'southward family attended. And naturally, I addressed all of my relatives as "auntie" and "uncle", like I've done throughout my xix years of life.
Honestly, information technology kind of sucks not knowing a whole office of my own language (non that I'thou that good at Chinese to begin with). I've always struggled with addressing my Chinese relatives. I'm also a little flake of a linguistics nerd, so kinship systems are pretty interesting to me. So, I decided to learn the Chinese kinship terms and share what I learnt with all of you!
I've provided jyutping (romanization for Cantonese pronunciation — I used CantoDict) in square brackets for each word. Also, cheque out these pronunciation guides for jyutping letters and tones! Happy learning!
A Quick Primer
Many Chinese kinship terms incorporate words that indicate different types of relations (I'll call them relation markers), especially relations by blood and past marriage. It's important to know these relationships, because that largely determines the kin terms you'll employ. This might be a skilful time to dig upwardly a family unit tree or call a relative so you tin can track who's related to who.
The Chinese kinship system reveals a lot well-nigh Chinese civilization and Chinese structures of relationships. Social relationships are heavily ingrained in linguistic communication (because language is a foundation of social communication), and kinship systems shed light on how we associate with one some other. In Chinese, this is especially apparent in relation markers and the use of numerals to differentiate between siblings (considering numbers signify importance too!).
Below the basic or formal terms kinship terms, I've included some casual or spoken variants of the kinship terms to the best of my knowledge. You'll see those listed below the heading "Coincidental/Spoken Variants".
Immediate Family
Allow's brainstorm with your direct relatives. This part is pretty straightforward — no fancy relation markers here. Some of these terms volition as well announced later in combination with other words, so I highly recommend mastering this section before you move on to the residuum!
| English | Cantonese |
| Mother | 媽媽 [maa1 maa1] Coincidental/Spoken Variants: |
| Begetter | 爸爸 [baa1 baa1] Casual/Spoken Variants: |
| Older Brother | 哥哥 [go1 get1] Casual/Spoken Variant: |
| Older Sis | 姐姐 [ze2 ze2] Casual/Spoken Variant: |
| Younger Brother | 弟弟 [dai6 dai6] Coincidental/Spoken Variant: |
| Younger Sister | 妹妹 [muivi muihalf-dozen] Casual/Spoken Variant: |
| Husband | 老公 [lou5 gung1] |
| Wife | 老婆 [lou5 pofour] |
| Son | 仔 [zai2] |
| Daughter | 女 [neoiv] |
Grandparents and Great-Grandparents
Moving a generation up to grandparents, kinship terms are now different on either side of the family (maternal and paternal). In some of these terms you'll run into the relation marker "外" [ngoi6]. "外" literally means "outside", and indicates a relation exterior of the paternal bloodline — a relation past marriage.
| English | Cantonese |
| Paternal Grandmother | 嫲嫲 [maa4 maaiv] |
| Paternal Grandfather | 爺爺 [je4 je4] |
| Maternal Grandmother | 外婆 [ngoi6 po4] Casual/Spoken Variant: |
| Maternal Grandfather | 外公 [ngoihalf-dozen gung1] Casual/Spoken Variant: |
| Paternal Great-grandmother | 太嫲 [taai3 maafour] |
| Paternal Slap-up-grandfather | 太爺 [taai3 je4] |
| Maternal Great-grandmother | 太婆 [taaiiii poiv] |
| Maternal Great-granddaddy | 太公 [taaithree gung1] |
Uncles and Aunts
Here's where I had (and withal have) the most trouble — differentiating between aunts and uncles and their spouses proves to be an arduous task. Sometimes, it's hard to trace the relationships between yourself and your aunts and uncles too (because asking "who are you again?" without making the situation bad-mannered is a feat in itself). If you lot're actually stumped, or can't figure out who'south who in a timely mode (don't want to keep those eager aunties waiting!), practise yourself a favour and default to "auntie" and "uncle" — at least until you can figure out the correct kin terms. Information technology's an easy way to get out of an awkward silence while yous're racking your brain for the right word, or the tension that might follow the use of an incorrect term. It might also make your aunts and uncles experience younger than they actually are — which (at least in my feel) they'll definitely appreciate!
| English | Cantonese |
| Elderberry Paternal Aunt | 姑媽 [gui maa1] |
| Younger Paternal Aunt | 姑姐 [guone ze2] |
| Elder Paternal Uncle | 伯父 [baak3 fu6] |
| Younger Paternal Uncle | 叔叔 [sukane suk1] |
| Paternal Aunts' Husbands | 姑丈 [gu1 zoenghalf dozen] |
| Elderberry Paternal Uncle's Married woman | 伯娘 [baakiii noeng4] |
| Younger Paternal Uncle'south Married woman | 阿嬸 [aa3 samii] |
| Elder Maternal Aunt | 姨媽 [ji4 maai] |
| Younger Maternal Aunt | 阿姨 [aa3 ji4] |
| Maternal Aunts' Husbands | 姨丈 [jiiv zoeng6] |
| Maternal Uncles | 舅父 [kau5 fusix] |
| Maternal Uncles' Wives | 舅母 [kauv mou5] |
| Elder Paternal Great-uncle | 伯公 [baakiii gungone] |
| Younger Paternal Nifty-uncle | 叔公 [suk1 gung1] |
| Elder Paternal Corking-uncle'due south Wife | 伯婆 [baakthree po4] |
| Younger Paternal Great-uncle'due south Married woman | 叔婆 [sukane pofour] |
| Paternal Peachy-aunts | 姑婆 [gu1 poiv] |
| Paternal Bang-up-aunts' Husbands | 姑丈公 [gu1 zoeng6 gung1] |
| Maternal Slap-up-uncles | 舅公 [kaufive gung1] |
| Maternal Not bad-uncles' Wives | 舅婆 [kau5 po4] |
| Maternal Slap-up-aunts | 姨婆 [jifour po4] |
| Maternal Bang-up-aunts' Husbands | 姨丈公 [jifour zoeng6 gungi] |
Now here's a problem: say your male parent has three elderberry sisters. They would all exist your 姑媽 [gu1 maaane], but how exercise you differentiate between the 3? How practice you refer to ane, without referring to all?
In these situations, y'all would phone call your eldest 姑媽 your 大姑媽 [daai6 guane maa1] (where 大 [daai6] means "large"), and the others 二姑媽 [jisix gui maa1] and 三姑媽 [saam1 gu1 maaone] in guild of age (hither's a crash course on Chinese numerals). And then, in this case, your 二姑媽 would be your middle elder paternal aunt, and your 三姑媽 would be your youngest elder paternal aunt. You could also telephone call your youngest elder paternal aunt your 小姑媽 [siu2 gui maa1] (where 小 [siutwo] means "small"), using 小 in place of a numeral. These additions (大, 小, and numerals) can be used before whatsoever kinship term to differentiate between siblings (whether they're yours or not) in your family tree.
Cousins and Their Spouses
Most of the terms for cousin are shortened sibling terms (姐 [zetwo], 妹 [mui6], 哥 [get1], 弟 [dai6]) with ane of 2 relation markers — 堂 [tongfour] or 表 [biutwo] — added in forepart. Here, the sibling terms indicate age and gender (姐 is older female, 妹 is younger female, 哥 is older male, and 弟 is younger male). The relation mark 堂 indicates a human relationship by blood, while the relation marker 表 indicates a relationship by marriage.
| English | Cantonese |
| Maternal Elderberry Female person Cousin | 表姐 [biuii ze2] |
| Maternal Elder Male person Cousin | 表妹 [biuii mui6] |
| Maternal Younger Female Cousin | 表哥 [biu2 become1] |
| Maternal Younger Male Cousin | 表弟 [biu2 dai6] |
| Male parent'south Brother's Daughter (Older Than You lot) | 堂姐 [tong4 zeii] |
| Father's Brother'due south Daughter (Younger Than You) | 堂妹 [tong4 muihalf dozen] |
| Male parent'south Brother'southward Son (Older Than You lot) | 堂哥 [tongiv get1] |
| Father's Brother's Son (Younger Than Yous) | 堂弟 [tongfour daivi] |
| Father'south Sis's Girl (Older Than You) | 表姐 [biutwo ze2]* |
| Father'south Sister's Daughter (Younger Than You) | 表妹 [biu2 mui6]* |
| Father'due south Sis'due south Son (Older Than You) | 表哥 [biu2 go1]* |
| Father's Sis's Son (Younger Than You) | 表弟 [biu2 dai6]* |
| 表哥'southward Married woman | 表嫂 [biuii sou2] |
| 表姐's Married man | 表姐夫 [biu2 ze2 fu1] |
| 表弟'southward Married woman | 表弟婦 [biu2 dai6 fu5] |
| 表妹's Husband | 表妹夫 [biu2 mui6 fui] |
| 堂哥's Wife | 堂嫂 [tongfour sou2] |
| 堂姐's Hubby | 堂姐夫 [tongfour ze2 fuone] |
| 堂弟's Wife | 堂弟婦 [tong4 dai6 fuv] |
| 堂妹'south Married man | 堂妹夫 [tong4 mui6 fui] |
*Annotation: The children of your father'due south immediate sisters are your 表姐 [biu2 zetwo], 表妹 [biu2 muivi], 表哥 [biuii go1], and 表弟 [biuii daisix] because the children of your father'southward sisters are categorized nether your father's sisters' husbands' bloodlines, making them related by matrimony.
Nieces and Nephews
Like to your cousins, how you refer to your nieces and nephews depends on their relation to your paternal bloodline.
| English language | Cantonese |
| Firsthand Brother's Daughter | 姪女 [zathalf-dozen neoifive] |
| Immediate Brother's Son | 侄仔 [zat6 zai2] |
| Immediate Sis's Daughter | 外甥女 [ngoi6 sang1 neoi5] |
| Firsthand Sis'due south Son | 外甥 [ngoihalf-dozen sang1] |
Again, "外" [ngoivi] here means a relationship by matrimony into the paternal bloodline. Your 外甥女 and 外甥 belong under your brother-in-law'southward bloodline and have taken your brother-in-law's last proper noun, and so they are outside your paternal bloodline and take the "外" (wedlock by relationship) relation marker.
Grandchildren
Here, you'll notice the repetition of the word "孫" [syuni], which literally means "descendant". You'll also run into more of "外" [ngoi6], the "marriage by relationship" relation marker.
| English language | Cantonese |
| Son'due south Son | 孫仔 [syun1 zai2] |
| Son's Daughter | 孫女 [syun1 neoiv] |
| Girl's Son | 外孫 [ngoi6 syun1] |
| Girl's Girl | 外孫女 [ngoi6 syun1 neoifive] |
In-laws
What y'all call your in-laws depends on whether y'all marry into a family, or whether your spouse marries into your family unit. You'll also meet the use of the relation mark "外" [ngoi6] here.
| English | Cantonese |
| Hubby's Father | 老爺 [lou5 jefour] |
| Husband'south Mother | 奶奶 [naai5 naaiv] |
| Wife'southward Begetter | 外父 [ngoi6 fu6] |
| Wife'due south Female parent | 外母 [ngoi6 mouv] |
| Husband's Elder Brother | 大伯 [daai6 baak3] |
| Husband's Elder Sister | 姑奶 [gu1 naai5] |
| Husband's Younger Blood brother | 小叔 [siu2 sukone] |
| Husband's Younger Sister | 姑仔 [gu1 zai2] |
| Wife'due south Elder Blood brother | 大舅 [daai6 kauv] |
| Wife'south Elder Sister | 大姨 [daai6 ji4] |
| Wife'due south Younger Brother | 舅仔 [kau5 zai2] |
| Wife'due south Younger Sis | 姨仔 [jiiv zai2] |
| Girl-in-law | 新抱 [sani poufive] |
| Son-in-law | 女婿 [neoi5 saithree] |
| Son's Son's Wife | 孫新抱 [syun1 san1 pouv] |
| Daughter'south Son's Wife | 外孫新抱 [ngoi6 syun1 sanone poufive] |
| Son'southward Daughter's Husband | 孫女婿 [syuni neoi5 saithree] |
| Daughter's Daughter's Husband | 外孫女婿 [ngoi6 syun1 neoi5 sai3] |
Congratulations! You've now learnt how to address your relatives in Cantonese!
Still dislocated? Don't experience discouraged — kinship terms are hard to learn and remember (I still struggle sometimes!). For a quick refresher, check out this video by Off The Bang-up Wall for a quick recap, and this Omniglot article for a tabular array of Chinese kinship terms and their variants in different Chinese dialects! If yous're interested in learning about the more than technical side of kinship terms, the commodity Terms of Address in Cantonese discusses the linguistics of kinship terms, and The Cultural Connotations and Communicative Functions of Chinese Kinship Terms elaborates on the roles of kinship terms in culture, society, and communication.
Exercise you lot speak a linguistic communication that uses a unlike kinship system? Have you had like struggles with kinship systems? Or, maybe you've mastered your kinship organization and accept tips for united states of america? Go out a comment about your experiences — I'd love to hear virtually them!
Source: https://littlechinesethings.wordpress.com/2019/01/26/relatives-in-cantonese/
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