Vietnamese words for family, from mom to great-grandma

The Vietnamese word for family is gia đình (zah DING), and the family words themselves are more specific than English: there are separate terms for older and younger siblings, and for relatives on your father's side versus your mother's side. Mom is mẹ (or má in the South), dad is bố (or ba in the South), and a great-grandparent is cụ in the North or cố in the South.

These words aren't just labels. Vietnamese people use them as pronouns in conversation, so the word for "older sister" is also how you'd say "you" to her. For the full picture, see the guide to Vietnamese pronouns.

Parents

• mẹ – mom (meh, heavy falling tone). Common in the North and understood everywhere.
• má – mom, common in the South (mah, rising tone).
• bố – dad, common in the North (boh, rising tone).
• ba – dad, common in the South (bah).
• bố mẹ or ba má – parents; cha mẹ is a more neutral or formal way to say it.

Cha is another word for father. It sounds formal or literary in many places, but some families use it every day. Usage varies, so follow what the family itself says.

Siblings: age matters

English says "brother" and "sister." Vietnamese first asks: older or younger?

• anh – older brother
• chị – older sister
• em – younger sibling, either gender
• em trai – younger brother
• em gái – younger sister
• anh chị em – siblings in general

This age distinction runs through the whole language. More on it in anh vs em: who is older matters.

A Southern twist: in many Southern families, siblings are numbered by birth order starting with Hai (two) for the eldest, so the oldest brother is "anh Hai," the next child is "anh Ba" or "chị Ba," and so on. It's a well-known Southern custom, though not every family follows it.

Children and grandchildren

• con – child (also how a parent addresses their child)
• con trai – son; con gái – daughter
• cháu – grandchild, and also niece or nephew

Because cháu covers grandkids, nieces and nephews, context tells you which one is meant.

Grandparents: two sides

• ông – grandfather; bà – grandmother
• ông nội, bà nội – paternal grandparents (dad's side; nội means inside)
• ông ngoại, bà ngoại – maternal grandparents (mom's side; ngoại means outside)

People often shorten these, calling grandma simply "nội" or "ngoại." The inside-outside wording reflects a traditional view of lineage running through the father's line.

Great-grandparents

• cụ – great-grandparent, common in the North (cụ ông, cụ bà)
• cố – great-grandparent, common in the South (ông cố, bà cố)

So "great-grandma" is usually cụ bà in the North and bà cố in the South. Cụ is also a respectful way to refer to a very elderly person in general. Words for generations beyond that exist but vary a lot by region and family, so it's best to ask.

Aunts and uncles

This is where Vietnamese gets detailed. On dad's side:

• bác – dad's older brother or sister
• chú – dad's younger brother
• cô – dad's younger sister

On mom's side:

• cậu – mom's brother
• dì – mom's sister

Spouses get their own words too:

• thím – wife of a chú
• mợ – wife of a cậu
• dượng – husband of a cô or dì (especially common in the South)

Regional differences are real here. In the North, bác is also used for mom's older siblings. In the South, families may stretch dì and cậu more broadly. Family habit matters more than any chart, so the mom's side vs dad's side guide is worth a read if you're about to meet relatives.

In-laws and partners

• vợ – wife; chồng – husband
• bố chồng / mẹ chồng – a wife's father- and mother-in-law
• bố vợ / mẹ vợ – a husband's father- and mother-in-law
• con dâu – daughter-in-law; con rể – son-in-law

How to use these words politely

When talking to an older relative, add ạ at the end of a sentence for politeness: "Con chào bà ạ" is a respectful "Hello, grandma" from a grandchild. Kids usually call themselves con with parents and cháu with grandparents, aunts and uncles, though some families have kids use con with grandparents too.

Draw your own family tree and label each person with their Vietnamese title; seeing both sides of the family on paper makes the words click.