祖父母
zou2 fu6 mou5
The Cantonese phrase for grandparents is 祖父母 (zou2 fu6 mou5).
The term refers to the parents of a person's father or mother.
Which one should you use?
While 祖父母 is used in formal writing or documentation, the phrase 阿公阿嫲 is the standard way to refer to grandparents in daily conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
祖父母 is a formal, written-style term. In spoken Cantonese, people more commonly use the colloquial 阿公阿嫲 to refer to grandparents. Additionally, 阿公 is used to informally address one's paternal grandfather and 阿婆 is used to informally address one's paternal grandmother.
How do you pronounce it?
zou2 fu6 mou5
Did you know?
- In some Cantonese households, children call their grandmother 嫲嫲 by doubling the word. This reduplication is a common linguistic feature used to create a more affectionate or 'cute' tone for family members.
- The character 外 in terms for maternal grandparents literally means 'outside'. This reflects an ancient patriarchal view that the mother's side of the family belonged to an 'outside' clan.
- In many Cantonese-speaking households, children might use the specific titles 阿公 or 阿嫲 even for elderly strangers as a sign of polite, respectful recognition.
Examples in context
Example conversation
Ka Ming and Ya Ting are talking about their family history.
- 家明 Ka Ming你嘅祖父母係邊度人？nei5 ge3 zo2 fu2 mou5 hai6 bin1 dou6 jan4?Where are your grandparents from?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting佢哋原本係住喺廣東。keoi5 dei6 jyun4 bun2 hai6 zyu6 hai2 gwong2 dung1.They originally lived in Guangdong.
- 家明 Ka Ming咁佢哋而家係咪仲住喺嗰度？gam3 keoi5 dei6 ji4 gaa1 hai6 mai4 zung6 zyu6 hai2 go2 dou6?Are they still living there now?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting唔係，佢哋已經搬嚟香港住。m4 hai6, keoi5 dei6 ji1 ging1 bun1 lai4 hoeng1 gong2 zyu6.No, they have already moved to Hong Kong.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
