Compound Words Are Clearer (5-1)

Relative name was another hot topic for comparing languages. To use relative name is little bit harder than animal name for polite reason. The problem is still the same, some of them seemed never use throughout the whole life, but may be suddenly one day you use it. In Esperanto we find some name of relatives, as：

The Chinese names for relative are created by compound word too, therefore everybody know these characters even they don’t use them.

1、爷or祖父 grand father

2、奶or祖母grand mother

Put them together 祖父母 means grandparents.

3、父or 爸means father

4、母or 妈means mother

Put them together 父母means parents.

5、伯uncle that elder than your father

6、叔uncle that younger than your father

Put them together invert 叔伯means uncle.

7、伯爷grandfather’s elder brother, sometime connect with his seniority, as first 伯爷， second 伯爷etc.

8、叔爷Grandfather’s younger brother

9、姑 father’s elder sisters called 姑妈；younger sisters called姑姑 ；their husbands are 姑父

Grandfather’s sisters elder or younger all is called 姑奶奶

10、舅mother’s brother; 11、 his wife is 舅妈

12、姨mother’s sister; 13、her husband is 姨夫

14、Grandmother’s brother is called 舅爷; 15、his wife is 舅奶奶;

16、grandmother’s sister姑奶奶; 17、her husband is 姑爷

Here you may find that as you call mother’s sister as 姨， then grandmother’s sister should be 姨奶奶. But no one use this word, because one hundred years ago, when polygyny is legal, only the first wife is 正房奶奶 right-room-lady, all the rest wife or concubine were called姨奶奶.

18、兄or哥means brothers that elder than you;

19、弟 means brothers that younger than you;

Put them together 兄弟means brother.

20、姐means sister that older than you；21、her husband is 姐夫

22、妹means sister that younger than you; 23、her husband is 妹夫

Put them together 姐妹means sister.

24、夫means husband

25、妇means wife

Put those together 夫妇means husband & wife.

26、伯母wife of father’s older brothers, you may have many 伯母 e.g. first伯母, second伯母 etc.

27、婶wife of father’s younger brother, you may have many 婶 e.g. fourth 婶, fifth 婶etc.

28、儿子 son; 二子 second-son

29、儿媳 daughter-in-law; 三儿媳 third-daughter-in-law，四儿媳 fourth-daughter-in-law.

30、闺女 daughter; 长女first-daughter.

31、女婿 son-in-law; 三女婿third-son-in-law.

32、孙子grand-son

33、孙女grand-daughter

34、侄子son of your brother

35、侄女daughter of your brother

36、外甥son of your wife’s brother or your sister

37、外甥女 daughter of your wife’s brother or your sister.

39、嫂means older brother’s wife；40、弟妹 means younger brother’s wife

弟弟妹妹means younger brothers and younger sisters. 哥哥姐姐means older brothers and older sisters.