Chinese Family Titles: Father’s Brother vs Mother’s Sister
A rundown of the most common Chinese family titles — paternal, maternal, same-generation and younger generations — so you never use the wrong term again.
Paternal elders: father’s father is 爷爷 (grandfather); father’s elder brother is 伯父 and his younger brother 叔父; father’s sisters are 姑姑.
Maternal elders: mother’s father is 外公 (maternal grandfather); mother’s brothers are 舅舅; mother’s sisters are 姨妈.
Same generation: a brother’s children are 侄子/侄女, a sister’s children are 外甥/外甥女; 堂 cousins come from the father’s brothers, while 表 cousins come from 姑, 舅 or 姨.
Younger generations: a son’s children are 孙子/孙女, a daughter’s children are 外孙/外孙女. When in doubt, type the relation chain into the calculator for the exact term.