Chinese word

外甥

Pronunciation

Pinyinwài shēng

Meaning

  • nounnephew

Example

我给外甥买了一份礼物。wǒ gěi wài shēng mǎi le yí fèn lǐ wù

I bought my nephew a gift.

Illustration for 外甥 (nephew)

More examples

周末我跟外甥一起去动物园。zhōu mò wǒ gēn wài shēng yì qǐ qù dòng wù yuán

I go to the zoo with my nephew on weekends.

Core concept

A male nephew whose link to the speaker runs through a sister rather than a brother.

Common phrases

  • 有一个外甥yǒu yí gè wài shēng

    have one nephew

  • 跟外甥玩游戏gēn wài shēng wán yóu xì

    play games with one's nephew

  • 照顾外甥zhào gù wài shēng

    look after one's nephew

Similar words

侄子zhí zi: A male nephew who is the son of one's brother.
外甥女wài shēng nǚ: A female niece who is the daughter of one's sister.
侄女zhí nǚ: A female niece who is the daughter of one's brother.

Definition in Chinese

专指姐妹所生的男性后代，为区分父系侄子而使用的亲属称谓。zhuān zhǐ jiě mèi suǒ shēng de nán xìng hòu dài wèi qū fēn fù xì zhí zi ér shǐ yòng de qīn shǔ chēng wèi

Word origin

外甥 (wàishēng, "sister's son") combines 外 (wài, "outside") with 甥 (shēng, "nephew") to mark the nephew on the sister's branch.

Usage tips

  • The English word does not show whether the nephew is a sister's son or a brother's son, so this Chinese term carries a family distinction that English usually leaves unstated.

Related words

Word lists with this word