The Cantonese Family Tree: How To Address Relatives Correctly
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Addressing family members in Cantonese requires knowing exactly how they’re related to you.
The Cantonese family tree is highly specific.
You must use different words depending on whether the relative is on your mother’s or your father’s side.
Age also matters when dealing with your own generation.
You must use entirely different vocabulary terms for older and younger siblings.
This guide will clearly break down exactly what to call each of your relatives in Cantonese so you never make a mistake.
Table of Contents:
Immediate family
In Cantonese culture, the terms you use for your siblings depend entirely on whether they’re older or younger than you.
There’s no single common word for “brother” or “sister” that covers both ages.
You’ll also notice that Cantonese uses very specific slang or casual terms for parents, such as 老豆 (lou5 dau6) for your father.
Here’s the vocabulary for your immediate family members.
| English | Cantonese | Jyutping |
|---|---|---|
| Father | 阿爸 / 老豆 | aa3 baa4 / lou5 dau6 |
| Mother | 阿媽 / 媽咪 | aa3 maa1 / maa1 mi4 |
| Older brother | 阿哥 / 大佬 | aa3 go1 / daai6 lou2 |
| Younger brother | 細佬 | sai3 lou2 |
| Older sister | 家姐 | gaa1 ze1 |
| Younger sister | 細妹 | sai3 mui2 |
Here are a few examples of how to talk about your immediate family.
我細佬好高。
佢家姐係醫生。
Paternal relatives (father’s side)
Your father’s side of the family has a distinct set of titles.
If you’re speaking to your father’s parents or your father’s siblings, you must use these specific paternal terms.
For your father’s sisters, you’ll use different terms based on whether they’re older or younger than your father.
| English | Cantonese | Jyutping |
|---|---|---|
| Grandfather (paternal) | 爺爺 | je4 je2 |
| Grandmother (paternal) | 嫲嫲 | maa4 maa4 |
| Father’s older brother | 伯父 | baak3 fu2 |
| Father’s younger brother | 叔叔 | suk1 suk1 |
| Father’s older sister | 姑媽 | gu1 maa1 |
| Father’s younger sister | 姑姐 | gu1 ze1 |
Here’s an example of introducing a paternal relative.
呢個係我嫲嫲。
Maternal relatives (mother’s side)
Your mother’s side of the family requires a completely different set of titles.
Using paternal terms for your mother’s parents is considered highly incorrect in Cantonese.
Unlike the father’s side, your mother’s brothers all share the same base title regardless of whether they’re older or younger than her.
| English | Cantonese | Jyutping |
|---|---|---|
| Grandfather (maternal) | 公公 | gung1 gung1 |
| Grandmother (maternal) | 婆婆 | po4 po2 |
| Mother’s brother | 舅父 | kau5 fu2 |
| Mother’s older sister | 姨媽 | ji1 maa1 |
| Mother’s younger sister | 阿姨 | aa3 ji1 |
Here’s how you might talk about a maternal relative in conversation.
我會同我公公食飯。
In-laws and spouses
When referring to your spouse or your spouse’s parents, Cantonese divides the vocabulary based on gender.
A wife uses a specific set of words for her husband’s parents.
A husband uses an entirely different set of words for his wife’s parents.
| English | Cantonese | Jyutping |
|---|---|---|
| Husband | 老公 | lou5 gung1 |
| Wife | 老婆 | lou5 po4 |
| Father-in-law (husband’s father) | 老爺 | lou5 je4 |
| Mother-in-law (husband’s mother) | 奶奶 | naai4 naai2 |
| Father-in-law (wife’s father) | 外父 | ngoi6 fu2 |
| Mother-in-law (wife’s mother) | 外母 | ngoi6 mou5 |
Here’s a practical example of addressing your spouse.
我老公唔喺屋企。
