Although English is widely spoken in Hong Kong, learning how to describe your family in Cantonese will be of great benefit to you. Not only will it help you understand the local culture better, but it can also facilitate communication with the locals and show respect, especially considering that family is a strong institution here.
Want to learn more about Hong Kong families in general and familiarize yourself with basic Cantonese family expressions? Keep reading and let CantoneseClass101.com give you a hand!
In this article, we’ll go over essential information including family titles in Cantonese, family Cantonese words, how to say family in Cantonese, and family relations in Cantonese.
By the time you’re done with this article, you’ll be much more informed on family meaning in Cantonese, and will be saying things like “grandmother” in Cantonese like it’s nothing!
But first…
Table of Contents
- What is Family in Cantonese Culture?
- Terms for Family Members in Cantonese
- More Family Terms in Cantonese: Terms for Relatives
- Terms for Family Members as a Married Person
- Endearment Terms for the Family in Cantonese
- Simple Sentences to Talk About Family in Cantonese
- How CantoneseClass101.com Can Help You Learn More Cantonese
1. What is Family in Cantonese Culture?
Even though many locals have adopted Western ways of living, Chinese concepts like “family solidarity” and “family glory” are still prevalent. It’s also common for a grown-up to live with their family or parents, partly due to the sky-rocketed property prices and rent, as well as the strong emphasis on family bonding in Hong Kong.
Many HongKongers are living in nuclear families, usually with only one or two children, as most living spaces in Hong Kong are small. The traditional role of a mother is to take care of the family, though many HongKongers choose to hire a housemaid to carry out the domestic duties so that the mother can work full-time.
Age determines the seniority of a family. It’s expected for everyone to respect their elders in accordance with filial piety, a deeply rooted virtue in many Southeast Asian countries. HongKongers usually worship their ancestors at least twice a year, which stems from the belief that children are eternally indebted to their parents. This respect for seniority can also be observed through language; for example, “brother” is further classified as “elder brother” and “younger brother.”
2. Terms for Family Members in Cantonese
Unlike in English, there are very specific terms in Cantonese to refer to family members. For example, “grandfather” is further broken down to describe whether one is talking about the grandfather on the paternal or maternal side. “Sister” is further broken down according to age. Check out the detailed family tree in Cantonese below!
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 家庭 | gaa1 ting4 | Family |
| 2 | 父母 | fu6 mou5 | Parents |
| 3 | 父親 | fu6 can1 | Father (formal – usually only appears in writing) |
| 4 | 爸爸 | baa4 baa1 | Father (less formal – applicable to both writing and speaking) |
| 5 | 母親 | mou5 can1 | Mother (formal – usually only appears in writing) |
| 6 | 媽媽 | maa4 maa1 | Mother (less formal – applicable to both writing and speaking) |
| 7 | 孩子 | haai4 zi2 | Children (formal – usually only appears in writing) |
| 8 | 小朋友 | siu2 pang4 jau5 | Children (less formal – applicable to both writing and speaking) |
| 9 | 仔女 | zai2 neoi2 | Children (less formal – applicable to both writing and speaking) |
| 10 | 仔 | zai2 | Son |
| 11 | 女 | neoi2 | Daughter |
| 12 | 兄弟姊妹 | hing1 dai6 zi2 mui6 | Siblings |
| 13 | 哥哥 | go4 go1 | Elder brother |
| 14 | 弟弟 | dai4 dai2 | Younger brother |
| 15 | 姐姐 | ze4 ze1 | Elder sister |
| 16 | 妹妹 | mui4 mui2 | Younger sister |
| 17 | 爺爺 | je4 je2 | Grandfather (father’s father) |
| 18 | 公公 | gung4 gung1 | Grandfather (mother’s father); interchangeable with #19 |
| 19 | 外公 | ngoi6 gung1 | Grandfather (mother’s father); interchangeable with #18 |
| 20 | 嫲嫲 | maa4 maa4 | Grandmother (father’s mother) |
| 21 | 婆婆 | po4 po2 | Grandmother (mother’s mother); interchangeable with #22 |
| 22 | 外婆 | ngoi6 po4 | Grandmother (mother’s mother); interchangeable with #21 |
| 23 | 孫仔 | syun1 zai2 | Grandson (son’s son) |
| 24 | 外孫 | ngoi6 syun1 | Grandson (daughter’s son) |
| 25 | 孫女 | syun1 neoi2 | Granddaughter (son’s daughter) |
| 26 | 外孫女 | ngoi6 syun1 neoi2 | Granddaughter (daughter’s daughter) |
3. More Family Terms in Cantonese: Terms for Relatives
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 伯父 | baak3 fu6 | Uncle (father’s elder brother) |
| 2 | 叔父 | suk1 fu6 | Uncle (father’s younger brother) |
| 3 | 姑丈 | gu1 zoeng2 | Uncle (father’s sister’s husband) |
| 4 | 舅父 | kau5 fu2 | Uncle (mother’s brother) |
| 5 | 姨丈 | ji4 zoeng2 | Uncle (mother’s sister’s husband) |
| 6 | 叔叔 | suk1 suk1 | Uncle (general) |
| 7 | 姑媽 | gu1 maa1 | Aunt (father’s elder sister) |
| 8 | 姑姐 | gu1 ze1 | Aunt (father’s younger sister) |
| 9 | 伯娘 | baak3 noeng4 | Aunt (father’s elder brother’s wife) |
| 10 | 阿嬸 | aa3 sam2 | Aunt (father’s younger brother’s wife) |
| 11 | 姨媽 | ji4 maa1 | Aunt (mother’s elder sister) |
| 12 | 阿姨 | aa3 ji1 | Aunt (mother’s younger sister) |
| 13 | 舅母 | kau5 mou5 | Aunt (mother’s brother’s wife) |
| 14 | 姨姨 | ji1 ji1 | Aunt (general) |
| 15 | 堂阿哥 | tong4 aa3 go1 | Elder male cousin (father’s side) |
| 16 | 堂細佬 | tong4 sai3 lou2 | Younger male cousin (father’s side) |
| 17 | 堂家姐 | tong4 gaa1 ze1 | Elder female cousin (father’s side) |
| 18 | 堂細妹 | tong4 sai3 mui2 | Younger female cousin (father’s side) |
| 19 | 表哥 | biu2 go1 | Elder male cousin (mother’s side) |
| 20 | 表弟 | biu2 dai2 | Younger male cousin (mother’s side) |
| 21 | 表姐 | biu2 ze2 | Elder female cousin (mother’s side) |
| 22 | 表妹 | biu2 mui2 | Younger female cousin (mother’s side) |
| 23 | 侄 | zat6 | Nephew (brother’s son) |
| 24 | 外甥 | ngoi6 saang1 | Nephew (sister’s son) |
| 25 | 侄女 | zat6 neoi2 | Niece (brother’s daughter) |
| 26 | 外甥女 | ngoi6 saang1 neoi2 | Niece (sister’s daughter) |
4. Terms for Family Members as a Married Person
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 配偶 | pui3 ngau5 | Spouse |
| 2 | 先生 | sin1 saang1 | Husband; interchangeable with #3 |
| 3 | 丈夫 | zoeng6 fu1 | Husband; interchangeable with #2 |
| 4 | 太太 | taai3 taai2 | Wife; interchangeable with #5 |
| 5 | 妻子 | cai1 zi2 | Wife; interchangeable with #4 |
| 6 | 老爺 | lou5 je4 | Father-in-law (husband’s father) |
| 7 | 外父 | ngoi6 fu2 | Father-in-law (wife’s father) |
| 8 | 奶奶 | naai4 naai2 | Mother-in-law (husband’s mother) |
| 9 | 外母 | ngoi6 mou2 | Mother-in-law (wife’s mother) |
| 10 | 姐夫 | ze2 fu1 | Brother-in-law (elder sister’s husband) |
| 11 | 妹夫 | mui6 fu1 | Brother-in-law (younger sister’s husband) |
| 12 | 大舅 | daai6 kau5 | Brother-in-law (husband’s elder brother) |
| 13 | 舅仔 | kau5 zai2 | Brother-in-law (husband’s younger brother) |
| 14 | 大伯 | daai6 baak3 | Brother-in-law (wife’s elder brother) |
| 15 | 叔仔 | suk1 zai2 | Brother-in-law (wife’s younger brother) |
| 16 | 阿嫂 | aa3 sou2 | Sister-in-law (elder brother’s wife) |
| 17 | 弟婦 | dai6 fu5 | Sister-in-law (younger brother’s wife) |
| 18 | 姑奶 | gu1 naai1 | Sister-in-law (husband’s elder sister) |
| 19 | 姑仔 | gu1 zai2 | Sister-in-law (husband’s younger sister) |
| 20 | 大姨 | daai6 ji1 | Sister-in-law (wife’s elder sister) |
| 21 | 姨仔 | ji1 zai2 | Sister-in-law (wife’s younger sister) |
| 22 | 女婿 | neoi5 sai3 | Son-in-law |
| 23 | 新抱 | san1 pou5 | Daughter-in-law |
5. Endearment Terms for the Family in Cantonese
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 阿爸 | aa3 baa4 | Father |
| 2 | 爹地 | de1 di4 | Father |
| 3 | 老豆 | lou5 dau6 | Father |
| 4 | 阿媽 | aa3 maa1 | Mother |
| 5 | 媽咪 | maa1 mi4 | Mother |
| 6 | 老母 | lou5 mou2 | Mother |
| 7 | 大佬 | daai6 lou2 | Elder brother |
| 8 | 細佬 | sai3 lou2 | Younger brother |
| 9 | 家姐 | gaa1 ze1 | Elder sister |
| 10 | 細妹 | sai3 mui2 | Younger sister |
| 11 | 老公 | lou5 gung1 | Husband |
| 12 | 老婆 | lou5 po4 | Wife |
6. Simple Sentences to Talk About Family in Cantonese
1- 我係你爸爸
Romanization: ngo5 hai6 nei5 baa4 baa1
Meaning: I am your father.
Additional Notes:
係 (hai6) is a verb with many different functions and often translates as “to be.” However, we primarily use 係 (hai6) to express that one noun is equivalent to another, as in the sentence 我係你爸爸 (ngo5 hai6 nei5 baa4 baa1). In a simple sentence using 係 (hai6), the meaning of the noun after 係 (hai6) is usually more general than the noun before 係 (hai6). Only when both nouns are equally specific can they be interchanged.
2- 呢個係我爸爸
Romanization: ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 baa4 baa1
Meaning: This is my father.
3- 嗰個係佢家姐
Romanization: go2 go3 hai6 keoi5 gaa1 ze1
Meaning: That is her elder sister.
4- 邊個係你妹夫？
Romanization: bin1 go3 hai6 nei5 mui6 fu1
Meaning: Who is your younger sister’s brother?
5- 我哋係老公老婆
Romanization: ngo5 dei2 hai6 lou5 gung1 lou5 po4
Meaning: We are husband and wife.
6- 佢係我大佬
Romanization: keoi5 hai6 ngo5 daai6 lou2
Meaning: He is my elder brother.
7- 我侄女伊利沙伯
Romanization: ngo5 zat6 neoi2 ji1 lei6 saa1 baak3
Meaning: My niece Elizabeth.
8- 邊個係達西嘅爸爸？
Romanization: bin1 go3 hai6 daat6 sai1 ge3 baa4 baa1
Meaning: Who is Darcy’s father?
9- 我妹妹去咗英國留學
Romanization: ngo5 mui4 mui2 heoi3 zo2 jing1 gwok3 lau4 hok6.
Meaning: My younger sister went to England to study abroad.
10- 佢係奧斯汀嘅細佬
Romanization: keoi5 hai6 ou3 si1 ting1 ge3 sai3 lou2
Meaning: He is Austin’s brother.
11- 我係溫特沃斯嘅老婆
Romanization: ngo5 hai6 wan1 dak6 juk1 si1 ge3 lou5 po4
Meaning: I am Wentworth’s wife.
12- 安妮係我嘅表妹
Romanization: on1 nei4 hai6 ngo5 biu2 mui2
Meaning: Anne is my “younger female cousin” (mother’s side).
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Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about using family words in Cantonese now. More comfortable, or still confused about something we went over? We know it’s a lot to take in, so feel free to reach out with questions or concerns!
Happy learning!
