Chinese word

亲戚

Pronunciation

Pinyinqīn qī

Meaning

  • nounrelative

Example

今天有很多亲戚来我们家。jīn tiān yǒu hěn duō qīn qī lái wǒ men jiā

Many relatives came to our house today.

Illustration for 亲戚 (relative)

More examples

她知道每个亲戚的生日。tā zhī dào měi gè qīn qī de shēng rì

She knows every relative's birthday.

Core concept

A family connection formed by birth or marriage that can extend beyond the people living in one home.

Common phrases

  • 远房亲戚yuǎn fáng qīn qī

    distant relative

  • 直系亲戚zhí xì qīn qī

    direct relative

Similar words

亲人qīn rén: A close family member who is valued because of a strong family or emotional bond.
家人jiā rén: A family member who usually lives in the same household and shares daily life.
亲属qīn shǔ: A formal term for a person related through blood or marriage.
家属jiā shǔ: A family member or dependent referred to in an official setting.

Definition in Chinese

泛指与自己有血缘关系或因婚姻而形成亲属关系的人，不等同于仅指同住的家人。fàn zhǐ yǔ zì jǐ yǒu xuè yuán guān xì huò yīn hūn yīn ér xíng chéng qīn shǔ guān xì de rén bù děng tóng yú jín zhǐ tóng zhù de jiā rén

Word origin

亲 (qīn, "close kin") + 戚 (qī, "kinsman") combine to form a general term for people connected through family.

Usage tips

  • In everyday English, family can suggest the immediate household, while Chinese can use this broad term for a much wider family network and add context when needed.

Other meanings

  • blood relativenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word