Chinese family vocabulary is remarkably specific — there are different words for older brother vs. younger brother, maternal grandfather vs. paternal grandfather. This lesson covers family terms, describing people, and key grammar with 的 and adjectives.
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爸爸 | bàba | dad | Informal; 父亲 (fùqīn) is formal |
| 妈妈 | māma | mom | Informal; 母亲 (mǔqīn) is formal |
| 哥哥 | gēge | older brother | Must specify older vs younger! |
| 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother | |
| 姐姐 | jiějie | older sister | |
| 妹妹 | mèimei | younger sister | |
| 儿子 | érzi | son | |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter | |
| 丈夫 / 老公 | zhàngfu / lǎogōng | husband | 老公 is casual/affectionate |
| 妻子 / 老婆 | qīzi / lǎopo | wife | 老婆 is casual/affectionate |
💡 Cultural Insight: Chinese distinguishes between paternal and maternal relatives with entirely different words. Your dad's parents: 爷爷 (yéye, grandpa) and 奶奶 (nǎinai, grandma). Your mom's parents: 外公 (wàigōng, grandpa) and 外婆 (wàipó, grandma). The 外 prefix literally means "outside" — reflecting the traditional patrilineal family structure.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 爷爷 | yéye | paternal grandfather |
| 奶奶 | nǎinai | paternal grandmother |
| 外公 / 姥爷 | wàigōng / lǎoye | maternal grandfather |
| 外婆 / 姥姥 | wàipó / lǎolao | maternal grandmother |
| 叔叔 | shūshu | uncle (father's younger brother) |
| 伯伯 | bóbo | uncle (father's older brother) |
| 舅舅 | jiùjiu | uncle (mother's brother) |
| 阿姨 | āyí | aunt (mother's sister); also generic "auntie" |
| 姑姑 | gūgu | aunt (father's sister) |
| 表哥/表姐 | biǎogē / biǎojiě | older male/female cousin (maternal side) |
| 堂哥/堂姐 | tánggē / tángjiě | older male/female cousin (paternal side) |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ | nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma? | Do you have siblings? |
| 我是独生子/独生女 | wǒ shì dúshēngzǐ / dúshēngnǚ | I'm an only child (son/daughter) |
| 我有一个哥哥 | wǒ yǒu yí gè gēge | I have one older brother |
| 你结婚了吗？ | nǐ jiéhūn le ma? | Are you married? |
| 我有两个孩子 | wǒ yǒu liǎng gè háizi | I have two children |
的 works like "'s" or "of" in English:
我的妈妈 (wǒ de māma) = my mom · 她的书 (tā de shū) = her book
Exception: With close relationships, 的 is often dropped: 我妈妈 (my mom), 我哥哥 (my older brother).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 高 | gāo | tall |
| 矮 | ǎi | short (height) |
| 胖 | pàng | fat/chubby |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin/slim |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | pretty/beautiful |
| 帅 | shuài | handsome |
| 年轻 | niánqīng | young |
| 长头发 | cháng tóufa | long hair |
| 短头发 | duǎn tóufa | short hair |
| 戴眼镜 | dài yǎnjìng | wears glasses |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 聪明 | cōngming | smart/clever |
| 友好 | yǒuhǎo | friendly |
| 热情 | rèqíng | warm/enthusiastic |
| 安静 | ānjìng | quiet |
| 外向 | wàixiàng | outgoing/extroverted |
| 内向 | nèixiàng | introverted |
| 有趣 | yǒuqù | interesting/funny |
| 认真 | rènzhēn | serious/diligent |
| 耐心 | nàixīn | patient |
| 懒 | lǎn | lazy |
To describe a noun with an adjective, use: Adjective + 的 + Noun
漂亮的女孩 (piàoliang de nǚhái) = beautiful girl
聪明的学生 (cōngming de xuéshēng) = smart student
With 很 (hěn, very): When using adjectives as predicates, add 很 before the adjective:
她很漂亮。(Tā hěn piàoliang.) = She is (very) pretty.
Note: 很 here often doesn't mean "very" — it's grammatically required to link the subject and adjective.
A: 你家有几口人？(Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?) — How many people in your family?
B: 我家有五口人：爸爸、妈妈、哥哥、妹妹和我。(Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ kǒu rén: bàba, māma, gēge, mèimei hé wǒ.) — Five: dad, mom, older brother, younger sister, and me.
A: 你哥哥多大了？(Nǐ gēge duō dà le?) — How old is your older brother?
B: 他二十八岁。他很高，也很帅！(Tā èrshíbā suì. Tā hěn gāo, yě hěn shuài!) — He's 28. He's tall and handsome!
A: 你妹妹呢？(Nǐ mèimei ne?) — What about your younger sister?
B: 她很聪明，今年上大学了。(Tā hěn cōngming, jīnnián shàng dàxué le.) — She's smart — she started university this year.
1. What's the difference between 爷爷 and 外公?
2. How do you say "She is very smart" in Chinese?
3. When can you drop 的 in possessive phrases?
Family terms distinguish older/younger (哥哥 vs 弟弟) and paternal/maternal (爷爷 vs 外公).
的 (de) marks possession ("my," "her") but is dropped with close relationships.
Adjectives need 很 before them in predicate position: 她很漂亮 (She is pretty).
Describing nouns: Adjective + 的 + Noun (漂亮的女孩 = beautiful girl).
Culture: Family structure vocabulary reflects traditional patrilineal organization.