爺爺 / 爷爷
The English phrase 'paternal grandfather' is translated into Cantonese as 爺爺 / 爷爷. Wiktionary also lists 祖父 (zou² fu⁶).
Meaning: one's father's father (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 爺爺 / 爷爷 | |
| 祖父 | zou² fu⁶ |
The term 爺爺 / 爷爷 is used both as a direct way to call one's grandfather and as a third-person way to refer to him in conversation.
Which one should you use?
爺爺 / 爷爷 is the common, colloquial way to address or refer to one's paternal grandfather in spoken Cantonese. In contrast, 祖父 is a formal, written term for paternal grandfather used in official documents or literature rather than in daily speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guangzhou, it is common to use the term 爺爺 / 爷爷 to address one's paternal grandfather.
Did you know?
- In many Cantonese-speaking households, the term 爺爺 is used as a respectful way to refer to any elderly man in a social setting, even if there is no biological relation.
- Historically, the character 爺 functioned similarly to the English word 'lord' or 'master', denoting high social status and nobility.
- In Cantonese, if you want to refer to your maternal grandfather, you cannot use 爺爺, as that is reserved strictly for the father's side. Instead, you must use the term 外公 or 舅公 to avoid confusion about your lineage.
Examples in context
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paternal grandfather” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
