姪 / 侄
zhí
In Mandarin, the word for nephew depends on whether the nephew is the son of your brother or your sister. The default forms are 姪 / 侄 (zhí). Wiktionary also lists 姪子 / 侄子 (zhízǐ) and 外甥 (wàishēng).
Meaning: fraternal or sororal nephew (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 姪 / 侄 | zhí |
| 姪子 / 侄子 | zhízǐ |
| 外甥 | wàishēng |
In Mandarin, you must distinguish between a brother's son and a sister's son, whereas English uses the single term 'nephew' for both.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 外甥 (wàishēng) literally translates to 'outside nephew', reflecting the traditional distinction that a sister's children belong to the 'outside' family.
Which one should you use?
Use 侄子 (zhízǐ) specifically for the son of one's brother, and use 外甥 (wàishēng) specifically for the son of one's sister.
How do you pronounce it?
zhí
Did you know?
- The ancient root for the word 姪 is a cognate with the Burmese word မြေး (mre:), which means 'grandchild'.
- In traditional Chinese kinship, a brother's son 侄子 was historically expected to carry on the family name and ancestral rites, whereas a sister's son 外甥 had no such obligation.
- While English uses 'nephew' for both, Mandarin has a matching distinction for nieces, using 侄女 for a brother's daughter and 外甥女 for a sister's daughter.
Examples in context
- 她等著接外甥。She's waiting to pick up her nephew.The sentence is useful for illustrating how to use 外甥.Tatoeba #13956875 by LeviHighway, translation #7389391 by CH
- 我的侄子今年五岁了。My nephew is five years old this year.
- 外甥跟我一起去度假。My nephew is going on vacation with me.
- 我的小侄儿非常聪明。My little nephew is very smart.
- 我的大侄儿最喜欢踢足球。My elder nephew loves playing soccer the most.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nephew” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 姪, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
