Vietnamese Family Relationship Terms

Father's father

Ông Nội

Vietnamese explicitly marks 'nội' (paternal, literally 'inside') vs 'ngoại' (maternal, literally 'outside') across the whole family tree.

Father's mother

Bà Nội

Mother's father

Ông Ngoại

Mother's mother

Bà Ngoại

Father

Bố

Regional variation: 'Ba'/'Cha' are more common in the South.

Mother

Mẹ

Regional variation: 'Má' is more common in the South.

Father's older brother

Bác

Covers a father's older sibling of either gender; the paternal side splits uncles by age (Bác vs Chú), unlike the maternal side.

Father's younger brother

Chú

Father's sister

Cô

'Bác gái' is used instead if she's older than your father.

Mother's older brother

Cậu

No separate word by age, unlike the father's-brother side.

Mother's younger brother

Cậu

Mother's sister

Dì

Father's older brother's wife

Bác Gái

Father's younger brother's wife

Thím

Mother's brother's wife

Mợ

Father's sister's husband

Dượng

Mother's sister's husband

Dượng

The same word covers an aunt's husband on either side.

Older brother

Anh

Younger brother

Em

Covers a younger brother or sister alike; 'trai' (male) or 'gái' (female) is added only when gender needs spelling out.

Older sister

Chị

Younger sister

Em

Father's brother's son

Anh Họ / Em Họ

Vietnamese cousin terms are chosen by relative age to you, not by gender or which parent's sibling: the same Anh/Chị/Em system as siblings, with 'họ' ('extended family') appended.

Father's brother's daughter

Chị Họ / Em Họ

Father's sister's son

Anh Họ / Em Họ

Father's sister's daughter

Chị Họ / Em Họ

Mother's brother's son

Anh Họ / Em Họ

Mother's brother's daughter

Chị Họ / Em Họ

Mother's sister's son

Anh Họ / Em Họ

Mother's sister's daughter

Chị Họ / Em Họ

Son

Con Trai

Daughter

Con Gái

Grandson

Cháu Trai

'Cháu' is the same word used for grandchildren, nephews and nieces alike — context tells them apart, not the word itself.

Granddaughter

Cháu Gái

Son-in-law

Con Rể

Daughter-in-law

Con Dâu

Brother's son

Cháu Trai

Sister's son

Cháu Trai

Brother's daughter

Cháu Gái

Sister's daughter

Cháu Gái

Husband

Chồng

Wife

Vợ

Spouse's father

Bố Vợ (wife's father) / Bố Chồng (husband's father)

Spouse's mother

Mẹ Vợ (wife's mother) / Mẹ Chồng (husband's mother)

Husband's older brother

Anh Chồng

Husband's younger brother

Em Chồng

Husband's sister

Chị / Em Chồng

Wife's brother

Anh / Em Vợ

Wife's sister

Chị / Em Vợ

Brother's wife

Chị Dâu (older brother's wife) / Em Dâu (younger brother's wife)

Sister's husband

Anh Rể / Em Rể