One of the tricky things about learning Chinese is figuring out how to address people. Growing up, I referred to my parents’ friends with the equivalent of “aunt” and “uncle,” but it was important to get the right word for “aunt” and “uncle” because, of course, there are different ones. All of my blood relatives were a little easier to track, up to a point, but I didn’t have a lot of interactions beyond grandparents, aunts and uncles, and first cousins.
Once I had kids? It got even harder. When I’ve taken my kids to visit family, I have to have a little conference with my parents every time my kids meet a relative or family friend for the first time. What should my kids call this person? What do I call them?
So why is it so confusing? Well, the video above, from the Off the Great Wall channel on YouTube, gives you a small taste of it. In Chinese, there are different terms for uncle depending on whether it’s an uncle on your mom’s side or your dad’s side, whether a paternal uncle is older or younger than your dad, and whether it’s an uncle by blood or by marriage. Not every family uses the exact same terms, of course, just like you might say “grandma” and your friend says “meemaw.” However, there is consistency in the fact that nobody uses a “maternal grandma” term to refer to their paternal grandma.
I’ve watched a few other videos from Off the Great Wall and they’re pretty interesting (and my kids think they’re hilarious). I don’t know if all of them are kid-safe, so do preview them before you show your kids, but it can be pretty fascinating. For another look at an aspect of Chinese culture you may not be familiar with, watch “What You Should NEVER Give to a Chinese Person.”
Update: Off the Great Wall has uploaded a version of the Chinese Family Tree in Cantonese.
