婆婆
The Cantonese word for maternal grandmother is 婆婆.
婆婆 is a noun used to refer specifically to the mother of one's mother.
Meaning: The mother of one's mother (noun)
Which one should you use?
In many Cantonese-speaking families, 奶奶 is used to refer specifically to the paternal grandmother to avoid confusion with the maternal side.
Did you know?
- The term 外婆 is often preferred to distinguish the maternal side because the character 外 means 'outside', reflecting an ancient social structure where the maternal family was considered 'outside' the primary household.
- In Cantonese, the character 婆 can be used to form names for various traditional female professions, such as 產婆 for a midwife or 搓婆 for a washerwoman.
- In certain traditional Cantonese-speaking families, you might hear a child call their maternal grandmother 姥姥 instead of 婆婆. This term is actually a loan from Mandarin and is often used by families with connections to northern China.
Examples in context
- 我嘅婆婆好親切。ngo5 ge3 po4 po4 hou2 can1 cit3.My maternal grandmother is very kind.
- 我婆婆住喺香港。ngo5 po4 po4 zyu6 hai2 hoeng1 gong2.My maternal grandmother lives in Hong Kong.
- 我想去探我婆婆。ngo5 soeng2 heoi3 taam3 ngo5 po4 po4.I want to visit my maternal grandmother.
Example conversation
Ka Ming and Ya Ting are talking about their families.
- 家明 Ka Ming雅婷，你婆婆嚟唔嚟香港？aa2 ting4, nei5 po4 po4 lai4 m4 lai4 hoeng1 gong2?Ya Ting, is your maternal grandmother coming to Hong Kong?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting係呀，佢下個禮拜到。hai6 aa3, keoi5 haa6 go3 lai5 baai3 dou3.Yes, she arrives next week.
- 家明 Ka Ming咁好，你可以陪佢去玩。gam3 hou2, nei5 ho2 ji5 pui4 keoi5 heoi3 waan2.That's great, you can accompany her to have fun.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting我好期待見到婆婆。ngo5 hou2 kei4 doi6 gin3 dou2 po4 po4.I am looking forward to seeing my maternal grandmother.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “maternal grandmother” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
