Insperium Chinese
Family Members in Chinese: Mom, Dad, Brothers and Sisters (with Audio)
October 16, 2026 · 5 min read
Chinese family words are more precise than English ones. There is no single word for "brother" or "sister" — Chinese always says whether they are older or younger — and grandparents on your father's side have different names from those on your mother's. Here are the family members in Chinese with pinyin and native audio (press ▶), and the sentences to talk about your family.
Parents and children
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爸爸 | bàba | dad | |
| 妈妈 | māma | mom | |
| 父亲 | fùqīn | father (formal) | |
| 母亲 | mǔqīn | mother (formal) | |
| 父母 | fùmǔ | parents | |
| 儿子 | érzi | son | |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter | |
| 孩子 | háizi | child, children |
爸爸 and 妈妈 are what everyone says, adults included. 父亲 and 母亲 are for writing and formal speech — you would use them in an essay, not when calling home.
Brothers and sisters: always older or younger
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 哥哥 | gēge | older brother | |
| 姐姐 | jiějie | older sister | |
| 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother | |
| 妹妹 | mèimei | younger sister |
To talk about siblings in general, put the pairs together: 兄弟 (xiōngdì, brothers), 姐妹 (jiěmèi, sisters), 兄弟姐妹 (brothers and sisters) — 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ asks "Do you have any siblings?"
Grandparents: father's side and mother's side
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爷爷 | yéye | grandpa (father's father) | |
| 奶奶 | nǎinai | grandma (father's mother) | |
| 外公 | wàigōng | grandpa (mother's father) | |
| 外婆 | wàipó | grandma (mother's mother) |
外 means "outside": your mother's parents are the "outside" grandparents, from the days when a bride joined her husband's family. In northern China you will also hear 姥爷 (lǎoye) and 姥姥 (lǎolao) for them.
Husband, wife and partners
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 丈夫 | zhàngfu | husband | |
| 妻子 | qīzi | wife | |
| 男朋友 | nán péngyou | boyfriend | |
| 女朋友 | nǚ péngyou | girlfriend |
In everyday speech many couples say 老公 (lǎogōng, hubby) and 老婆 (lǎopo, wife) instead.
Talking about your family
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你家有几口人？ | nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén? | How many people are in your family? | |
| 我家有四口人。 | wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén. | There are four people in my family. | |
| 我有一个哥哥。 | wǒ yǒu yí ge gēge. | I have an older brother. | |
| 我没有弟弟。 | wǒ méiyǒu dìdi. | I don't have a younger brother. | |
| 我爸爸是老师。 | wǒ bàba shì lǎoshī. | My dad is a teacher. | |
| 我很爱我的家人。 | wǒ hěn ài wǒ de jiārén. | I love my family very much. | |
| 你结婚了吗？ | nǐ jiéhūn le ma? | Are you married? |
When you count the members of your family, Chinese uses 口 (kǒu, "mouth") as the measure word — a family is the number of mouths at the table. Also note 我爸爸, not 我的爸爸: with close family the 的 is usually dropped.
Free PDF: family members in Chinese
All 18 family words and 7 sentences on one printable sheet, with pinyin and English. We send it to your inbox.
Get the free PDFFrequently asked questions
How do you say "mom" and "dad" in Chinese?
妈妈 (māma) and 爸爸 (bàba).
How do you say "brother" in Chinese?
It depends on age: 哥哥 (gēge) is an older brother, 弟弟 (dìdi) a younger one.
How do you say "family" in Chinese?
家 (jiā) for family and home, 家人 (jiārén) for the people in your family.
From family words to reading
家, 人, 子 and 女 are among the most frequent characters in Chinese — you will meet them on every page. Learning characters in order of frequency is the fastest way to start reading: see the most common Chinese characters, or Character Mastery, which takes you through the 2,500 characters behind 98% of everyday Chinese with meanings in your own language — $1 for the first seven days, then $29/month.