家人 (Family)

Learn family vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese.

Lesson

Immediate family:

妈妈 (māma) — mum/mom
爸爸 (bàba) — dad
哥哥 (gēge) — older brother
弟弟 (dìdi) — younger brother
姐姐 (jiějie) — older sister
妹妹 (mèimei) — younger sister

Extended family:

爷爷 (yéye) — paternal grandfather
奶奶 (nǎinai) — paternal grandmother
外公 (wàigōng) — maternal grandfather
外婆 (wàipó) — maternal grandmother

Vocabulary

Mandarin	English	Example
妈妈	Mother	我妈妈是医生。
爸爸	Father	爸爸在哪里？
哥哥	Older brother	我哥哥很高。
姐姐	Older sister	姐姐在北京工作。
爷爷	Paternal grandfather	爷爷今年八十岁。
奶奶	Paternal grandmother	奶奶做的饺子很好吃。

Pronunciation

Word	Phonetic	Tip
妈妈		Both syllables: 1st tone (high flat). "m" is like English "m"
哥哥		First syllable 1st tone, second neutral tone
爷爷		Both 2nd tone (rising). "y" like English "y"

Grammar tip

Older vs Younger siblings: Chinese distinguishes between older and younger siblings: 哥哥(older brother) vs 弟弟(younger brother). You cannot just say "brother" without specifying.

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