Chinese Kinship Calculator | Northern, Southern & English Terms

Q: What do I call my father’s sister, and her husband?

She is 姑妈 (gūmā), usually 姑姑 (gūgu) in speech; northern China prefers 姑姑 / 姑妈, the south (Cantonese areas) 姑姐 / 阿姑. Her husband is 姑父, also 姑丈 in the south. English uses just Aunt / Uncle.

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📖 Quick reference

Items tagged “N/S” differ between northern and southern China. Tap for all variants.

⚙️ My settings

Terms change with your gender and region.

1. Am I male or female?

Determines how they address you: nephew / niece, and which uncle/aunt terms apply.

2. Northern or southern terms?

The same relative is often named differently in northern and southern China.

3. In China or abroad?

In China we show Chinese terms; abroad we add English equivalents (uncle / aunt / cousin ignore lineage and seniority).

📊 What’s inside

Hand-curated common terms; customs differ, so when in doubt, just ask with a smile.

📜 18 generations

Nine generations above and nine below, all in one column.

Nine direct generations · great-great-grandfather to great-great-grandchild

📖 Full guide: nine clans · mourning grades · collateral lines · English →

Chinese Kinship Terms: Northern, Southern & English

This calculator derives the right term from a relation chain: set your gender, region and context, then tap or search to get the standard term, regional variants, the English equivalent and what they call you. The table below covers the most common relatives;see the full 64-term table →. For nine generations above and below, see the 18-generation reference table。

Common kinship terms (standard / northern / southern / English)
Relation	Standard term	Northern	Southern	English
Father’s father	爷爷	爷爷、爷	阿公、爷爷	Grandfather (paternal)
Mother’s father	外公	姥爷、外公	外公、阿公	Grandfather (maternal)
Father’s elder brother	伯父	大伯、大爷	阿伯、伯父	Uncle
Father’s younger brother	叔叔	叔叔、老叔	阿叔、叔仔	Uncle
Father’s sisters	姑妈（姑姑）	姑姑、姑妈	姑姐、阿姑	Aunt
Aunt’s husband (father’s side)	姑父	姑父、姑夫	姑丈、姑父	Uncle (by marriage)
Mother’s brother	舅舅	舅舅、老舅	舅父、阿舅	Uncle (maternal)
Mother’s sister	姨妈	姨、姨妈	阿姨、姨母	Aunt (maternal)
Elder brother’s wife	嫂子	嫂子、嫂儿	阿嫂、嫂子	Sister-in-law
Father’s brother’s children	堂兄弟 / 堂姐妹	堂哥、堂姐	堂兄、堂姐妹	Cousin (paternal)
Mother’s siblings’ children	表兄弟 / 表姐妹	表哥、表姐	表兄、表姐	Cousin (maternal)
Siblings’ sons	侄子 / 外甥	侄子、外甥	侄仔、外甥	Nephew
Spouse’s father	公公 / 岳父	公公、老丈人	老爷、岳父	Father-in-law

FAQ

What do I call my father’s sister, and her husband?

She is 姑妈 (gūmā), usually 姑姑 (gūgu) in speech; in the north 姑姑 / 姑妈, in the south (Cantonese areas) 姑姐 / 阿姑. Her husband is 姑父, also 姑丈 in the south. English uses just Aunt / Uncle.

Mother’s brother vs father’s brother: what’s the difference?

Father’s elder brother is 伯父 (大伯), younger brother 叔叔; mother’s brothers are all 舅舅 regardless of age, with spouses 伯母 / 婶婶 / 舅妈. 堂 cousins come from father’s brothers, 表 cousins from mother’s siblings or father’s sisters.

How do northern and southern terms differ?

The classic example is mother’s parents: 姥爷 / 姥姥 in the north, 外公 / 外婆 in the south. Father’s sister is 姑姑 up north but 姑姐 / 阿姑 in parts of the south; 伯父 becomes 阿伯 and 嫂子 becomes 阿嫂. Dialects vary even more; we list the most common usages.

Does my gender change the answer?

It changes what they call you: a boy is 侄子 / 外甥 / 孙子, a girl 侄女 / 外甥女 / 孙女. Spouse and in-laws also differ (husband/wife, parents-in-law). Switch gender in settings to see the matching result.

What are these relatives called in English?

English usually ignores lineage and seniority: 伯父, 叔叔, 舅舅, 姑父 and 姨父 are all Uncle; 姑姑, 姨妈, 伯母 and 婶婶 are all Aunt; 堂/表 siblings are all Cousin. Add paternal / maternal or elder / younger when needed, or use first names; in-laws take -in-law.

Can it handle complicated relation chains?

Yes. Chains of up to 6 steps are supported — e.g. “father → sister → husband” gives 姑父. You can also search a term directly or type a phrase like “father’s younger sister”.