Chinese Pronouns + Family Vocabulary: A Beginner’s GuideLearning how to talk about family is one of the most practical and rewarding parts of studying Chinese. Family vocabulary appears in everyday conversation, and using pronouns and possessives correctly helps you sound natural and respectful. This guide covers essential personal pronouns, possessive forms, common family-member terms, sentence patterns, cultural notes, and practice tips to help beginners speak about family with confidence.
Why family vocabulary matters
Family relationships are central in Chinese social life. Many conversations start with “Do you have siblings?” or “How’s your family?” Being able to name relatives and refer to them correctly shows cultural awareness and helps you connect with native speakers.
Personal pronouns (subject and object)
Chinese personal pronouns are simple and the same in subject and object positions (no different forms like “I” vs “me”).
- I / me — 我 (wǒ)
- You — 你 (nǐ)
- He / him — 他 (tā)
- She / her — 她 (tā)
- It — 它 (tā)
- We / us — 我们 (wǒmen)
- You (plural) — 你们 (nǐmen)
- They / them — 他们 (tāmen) (male or mixed group)
- They / them — 她们 (tāmen) (female group)
- They / them — 它们 (tāmen) (inanimate/animals; less common in everyday speech)
Notes:
- Pronunciation: 所有 pronouns follow the same tone and pronunciation regardless of grammatical role.
- Plural: Add 们 (men) to make pronouns plural (我 → 我们, 你 → 你们).
Possessives and possessive particles
To say “my,” “your,” or “his/her,” Chinese commonly uses the particle 的 (de) after a pronoun or noun.
- My / mine — 我的 (wǒ de)
- Your / yours — 你的 (nǐ de)
- His — 他的 (tā de)
- Her — 她的 (tā de)
- Our — 我们的 (wǒmen de)
- Their — 他们的 / 她们的 (tāmen de)
Common colloquial shortcut: In casual spoken Chinese, especially with family terms and close relationships, the 的 is sometimes dropped: 我妈妈 (wǒ māma) instead of 我的妈妈 (wǒ de māma) — both are natural, but dropping 的 is more intimate and frequent.
Example:
- 这是我的父母。 (Zhè shì wǒ de fùmǔ.) — These are my parents.
- 这是我妈妈。 (Zhè shì wǒ māma.) — This is my mom. (colloquial — no 的)
Common family-member vocabulary
Basic family terms (simplified with pinyin and brief notes):
- Family / household — 家 (jiā)
- Mother / mom — 母亲 (mǔqīn) / 妈妈 (māma)
- Father / dad — 父亲 (fùqīn) / 爸爸 (bàba)
- Parents — 父母 (fùmǔ) / 父母亲 (fùmǔqīn)
- Older brother — 哥哥 (gēge)
- Younger brother — 弟弟 (dìdi)
- Older sister — 姐姐 (jiějie)
- Younger sister — 妹妹 (mèimei)
- Son — 儿子 (érzi)
- Daughter — 女儿 (nǚ’ér)
- Husband — 丈夫 (zhàngfu) / 老公 (lǎogōng)
- Wife — 妻子 (qīzi) / 老婆 (lǎopó)
- Grandfather (father’s side) — 祖父 (zǔfù) / 爷爷 (yéye)
- Grandmother (father’s side) — 祖母 (zǔmǔ) / 奶奶 (nǎinai)
- Grandfather (mother’s side) — 外公 (wàigōng)
- Grandmother (mother’s side) — 外婆 (wàipó)
- Uncle (father’s younger brother) — 叔叔 (shūshu)
- Uncle (father’s older brother) — 伯伯 / 伯父 (bóbó / bófù)
- Aunt (father’s sister) — 姑姑 (gūgu)
- Aunt (mother’s sister) — 阿姨 (āyí)
- Aunt (mother’s brother’s wife) — 舅妈 (jiùmā)
- Uncle (mother’s brother) — 舅舅 (jiùjiu)
- Cousins — 堂兄弟姐妹 / 表兄弟姐妹 (táng / biǎo xiōngdì jiěmèi)
Notes:
- Chinese differentiates many relatives by paternal vs maternal side and by relative’s age; for beginners, start with the common colloquial terms (妈妈, 爸爸, 哥哥, 姐姐, 弟弟, 妹妹, 儿子, 女儿).
- Informal terms like 老公 / 老婆 are widely used in conversation.
Useful sentence patterns
- Introducing family members:
- 我有一个弟弟和一个妹妹。 (Wǒ yǒu yí ge dìdi hé yí ge mèimei.) — I have one younger brother and one younger sister.
- 这是我的爸爸。 (Zhè shì wǒ de bàba.) — This is my father.
- Asking about family:
- 你家有几口人？ (Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?) — How many people are in your family?
- 口 (kǒu) is a measure word used for family members.
- 你有兄弟姐妹吗？ (Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?) — Do you have siblings?
- Describing relationships:
- 他是我的表姐。 (Tā shì wǒ de biǎojiě.) — She is my female cousin (mother’s side or cousin with different surname).
- 我跟妈妈住在一起。 (Wǒ gēn māma zhù zài yìqǐ.) — I live with my mother.
- Possessives and kinship:
- 我的哥哥比我大三岁。 (Wǒ de gēge bǐ wǒ dà sān suì.) — My older brother is three years older than me.
- 她是他的妻子。 (Tā shì tā de qīzi.) — She is his wife.
Politeness, formality, and addressing elders
- Use kinship terms as forms of address when appropriate: calling someone’s mother 阿姨 (āyí) or father 叔叔 (shūshu) is common when speaking to family friends or neighbors.
- When speaking about someone’s parents, adding 您 (nín) (the polite form of “you”) shows respect when addressing elders directly: 您好吗？(Nín hǎo ma?)
Tone and pronunciation tips
- Mandarin is tonal; incorrect tones can change meaning. Practice with audio or a tutor.
- Word stress is not like English; aim for steady syllable pronunciation and correct tones.
- Pay special attention to similar-sounding words: e.g., 他 (tā, he) vs. 她 (tā, she) — same pronunciation but different characters; in speech they’re indistinguishable, so context matters.
Quick practice exercises
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Translate these sentences:
- My sister’s name is Li Hua.
- Do you have children?
- His grandparents live in Beijing.
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Make family-tree sentences:
- Write three sentences describing who lives in your family using 我, 我的, and 口 (kǒu).
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Role-play (spoken): Introduce your family to a friend in 3–5 short sentences.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Overusing 的 in casual speech with close family (both forms are acceptable, but dropping 的 sounds more natural).
- Mixing up paternal/maternal grandparents and uncles/aunts — for beginners it’s OK to use general terms like 祖父/祖母 or 外公/外婆 as you learn specifics.
- Ignoring tones — the same syllable can mean many different things in Mandarin.
Resources and next steps
- Practice with native audio (language apps, podcasts).
- Make a family tree in Chinese using labels for each relative.
- Practice short daily sentences about your family to build fluency.
To practice: write 5 sentences describing your family in Chinese (use pinyin if you’re unsure of characters) and I’ll correct them.
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