Vocabulary: Family Members
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 家 | jiā | family, home |
| 爸爸 | bàba | dad, father |
| 妈妈 | māma | mom, mother |
| 哥哥 | gēge | older brother |
| 弟弟 | dìdì | younger brother |
| 姐姐 | jiĕjie | older sister |
| 妹妹 | mèimei | younger sister |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 女儿 | nǚ’ér | daughter |
| 父母 | fùmǔ | parents |
| 夫妇 | fūfù | husband and wife |
| 丈夫 | zhàngfu | husband |
| 妻子 | qīzi | wife |
Sentence Patterns
Introducing your family
To introduce your family members, use the structure:
这是 + person. → “This is [person].”
Examples:
这是我爸爸。 (Zhè shì wǒ bàba.)
This is my dad.
她是我妈妈。 (Tā shì wǒ māma.)
She is my mom.
Note: “是” (shì) means “to be,” and “这” (zhè) means “this.”
Talking about family size
To talk about how many people are in your family, use:
我家有 + number + 口人。 (Wǒ jiā yǒu [number] kǒu rén.) → “My family has [number] people.”
Example:
我家有四口人。 (Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén.)
There are four people in my family.
- 家 (jiā) means “family” or “home.”
- 有 (yǒu) means “to have.”
- 口 (kǒu) is the specific measure word used for family members when counting them.
Grammar Point: Using “的” to Show Possession
In Chinese, we use 的 (de) to indicate possession or belonging. It’s similar to using “‘s” or “of” in English.
Structure:
[Possessor] + 的 + [thing possessed]
Examples:
- 我的家 (wǒ de jiā) = my family
- 我的爸爸 (wǒ de bàba) = my dad
However, in spoken Chinese, when referring to very close relationships (like immediate family), native speakers often omit 的:
- 我爸爸 (wǒ bàba) (instead of 我的爸爸) = my dad
- 我妈妈 (wǒ māma) (instead of 我的妈妈) = my mom
Both forms are correct, but omitting 的 is more natural and common in everyday speech.
This grammar point will be explained more extensively in the next lesson.
Notes
- 有 (yǒu) is used to say you “have” something, or to indicate existence (“there is/are”).
- 的 (de) is a possessive particle. It’s commonly used to say “my,” “his,” “her,” etc. But it can be omitted in close family relationships.
- 口 (kǒu) is the measure word used for counting people in a family. However, using 个 (gè) here is not wrong.
Example:
- 我家有三口人。 (Wǒ jiā yǒu sān kǒu rén.) = There are three people in my family.
- Using 个 is also possible: 我家有三个人。(Wǒ jiā yǒu sān gè rén.)