Hong Kong Cantonese Family Terms with Jyutping Audio

A Hong Kong family table does not swap Mandarin kinship words into Cantonese sounds. Your older sister is 家姐. Your younger brother is 細佬. Your paternal grandmother is 嫲嫲, not 奶奶. Listen first, then lock the characters.

Each term below has Jyutping playback. Families differ. This page records common Hong Kong speech you can use out loud, not a rule every clan follows.

Three prefixes

Hong Kong address terms lean on three prefixes:

阿: in front of a term—阿爸, 阿哥, 阿叔.
家: closer kin on your side. 家姐 is the classic case.
細: younger than you—細佬, 細妹.

Learn these three first. The rest of the list sorts more easily.

Parents, siblings, children

1. 阿爸 (aa3 baa4)

Meaning: Dad.

Everyday family speech. People also say 爸爸 and 老豆. Which one you use in introductions depends on the room.

阿爸

aa3 baa4

爸爸

baa4 baa1

老豆

lou5 dau6

2. 阿媽 (aa3 maa1)

Meaning: Mum.

Hong Kong usually writes 阿媽. 媽咪 and 老母 are also common.

阿媽

aa3 maa1

媽咪

maa1 mi4

老母

lou5 mou2

3. 阿哥 (aa3 go1)

Meaning: Older brother; also a man older than you.

Not only a blood brother. Calling someone 陳哥 or 強哥 is polite address, not a claim of kinship.

阿哥

aa3 go1

陳哥

can4 go1

強哥

koeng4 go1

4. 家姐 (gaa1 ze1)

Meaning: Your older sister, or a close older woman.

This is not a mechanical match for every Mandarin 姐姐. For your own sister, Hong Kong speech prefers 家姐.

家姐

gaa1 ze1

5. 細佬 (sai3 lou2)

Meaning: Mainly your younger brother; also a younger boy or young man.

Do not translate it as 弟弟. Hear the mid-level sai3. Do not drag it into a Mandarin third tone.

細佬

sai3 lou2

6. 細妹 (sai3 mui2)

Meaning: Mainly your younger sister; also a younger girl.

Same prefix as 細佬. 妹 often takes a changed tone. The player follows spoken form.

細妹

sai3 mui2

7. 阿仔 (aa3 zai2)

Meaning: Son; also your boy, a young boy, or a form of address to a young man.

Wider than Mandarin 兒子. Listen to the context. Do not assume a parent–child link every time.

阿仔

aa3 zai2

8. 阿女 (aa3 neoi2)

Meaning: Daughter; also your girl, a girl, or a young woman.

Pairs with 阿仔. Spoken 女 often changes to neoi2.

阿女

aa3 neoi2

爺嫲 and 公婆

The common Hong Kong split: paternal 爺爺 and 嫲嫲; maternal 公公 and 婆婆. Some families use 阿爺, 阿嫲, 阿公, 阿婆 instead.

Relative	Common Hong Kong terms
Father’s father	爺爺 / 阿爺
Father’s mother	嫲嫲 / 阿嫲
Mother’s father	公公 / 阿公
Mother’s mother	婆婆 / 阿婆

Mandarin 公公 and 婆婆 usually mean parents-in-law. In Hong Kong those words usually mean maternal grandparents. A wife addressing her husband’s parents often says 家公 and 家婆, or 老爺 and 奶奶, depending on the family.

家公

gaa1 gung1

家婆

gaa1 po2

老爺

lou5 je4

奶奶

naai4 naai2

1. 爺爺 (je4 je2)

Meaning: Father’s father.

阿爺 is also common. The tones are not Mandarin yéye. Shadow the audio.

爺爺

je4 je2

阿爺

aa3 je4

2. 嫲嫲 (maa4 maa4)

Meaning: Father’s mother.

阿嫲 is also common. This is the everyday Hong Kong word for paternal grandmother.

嫲嫲

maa4 maa4

阿嫲

aa3 maa4

3. 公公 (gung4 gung1)

Meaning: Mother’s father.

阿公 is also common. Do not import Mandarin “公公 = husband’s father”. The player follows the spoken changed tone.

公公

gung4 gung1

阿公

aa3 gung1

4. 婆婆 (po4 po2)

Meaning: Mother’s mother.

阿婆 is also common. Pairs with 公公 as maternal grandparents.

婆婆

po4 po2

阿婆

aa3 po4

Uncles and aunts

1. 阿伯 / 伯父

Meaning: Father’s older brother.

Speech usually uses 阿伯. Formal or outward introductions often use 伯父.

阿伯

aa3 baak3

伯父

baak3 fu6

2. 阿叔 / 叔父

Meaning: Father’s younger brother.

Also a general address for an uncle or an older man. Formal speech uses 叔父.

阿叔

aa3 suk1

叔父

suk1 fu2

3. 姑媽 / 姑姐

Meaning: Father’s sisters.

Both are common. 姑媽 is often older or more formal. 姑姐 is also frequent, especially for father’s younger sister. Age and family habit decide which one you hear.

姑媽

gu1 maa1

姑姐

gu1 ze1

4. 姨媽 / 阿姨

Meaning: Mother’s sisters.

Mother’s older sister is often 姨媽. Mother’s younger sister is often 阿姨 or 姨媽. Families mix them. Both are understood.

姨媽

ji4 maa1

阿姨

aa3 ji1

5. 舅父 / 舅舅

Meaning: Mother’s brothers.

舅父 and 舅舅 are the usual Hong Kong forms. 阿舅 is understandable, but less common and less safe as a default.

舅父

kau3 fu2

舅舅

kau5 kau5

Spouse

老公 (lou5 gung1)

Meaning: Husband.

The most natural everyday word. In formal or outward introductions, people also say 我先生.

老公

lou5 gung1

我先生

ngo5 sin1 saang1

老婆 (lou5 po4)

Meaning: Wife.

Pairs with 老公. Formal speech often uses 我太太. 老公 and 老婆 do not fit every formal setting.

老婆

lou5 po4

我太太

ngo5 taai3 taai2

Shadow these

家姐、細佬、細妹。

gaa1 ze1 sai3 lou2 sai3 mui2

爺爺、嫲嫲、公公、婆婆。

je4 je2 maa4 maa4 gung4 gung1 po4 po2

What these terms train

Type	Examples	What to practise
Prefixes	阿, 家, 細	Sort the word before you memorise it
Mandarin traps	家姐, 細佬, 嫲嫲	Do not calque 姐姐, 弟弟, 奶奶
Paternal / maternal	爺爺嫲嫲 vs 公公婆婆	Common Hong Kong split; families vary
Changed tones	公公, 爸爸, 阿女	The player follows speech, not citation tones

Family Cantonese is living speech. Households differ. Your goal is not a full genealogy. It is to hear the term, say it, and keep the tones stable.

FAQ

Why not 姐姐 and 弟弟?
People understand them. Hong Kong speech still prefers 家姐 for your older sister and 細佬 for your younger brother. 姐姐 and 弟弟 sound like Mandarin calques. Practise the set people actually open with.

What is 奶奶 in Cantonese?
In Hong Kong Cantonese, 奶奶 is usually not the everyday word for paternal grandmother. That is 嫲嫲 or 阿嫲. A wife addressing her husband’s mother often says 家婆 or 奶奶. Families differ.

Does every Hong Kong family use this split?
No. Variants such as 阿爺, 阿嫲, 阿公, and 阿婆 are common. This page is a common map, not a law. Follow the household in front of you.

What about in-laws?
Mandarin 公公 and 婆婆 often map to 家公 and 家婆 in Cantonese. This article does not cover the full in-law tree. Stabilise the terms above first.

What next?
Annotate your own family words with the Jyutping converter, or train tone stability with Cantonese tongue twisters.