Chinese word

祖父

Pronunciation

Pinyinzǔ fù

Meaning

  • noungrandfather

Example

小孩子喜欢和祖父玩。xiǎo hái zi xǐ huān hé zǔ fù wán

The child likes playing with their grandfather.

Illustration for 祖父 (grandfather)

More examples

我常向祖父请教人生经验。wǒ cháng xiàng zǔ fù qǐng jiào rén shēng jīng yàn

I often seek my grandfather's advice about life.

Core concept

The family elder who is the father's father.

Common phrases

  • 和祖父聊天hé zǔ fù liáo tiān

    talk with one's grandfather

  • 去看望祖父qù kàn wàng zǔ fù

    go visit one's grandfather

  • 尊敬祖父zūn jìng zǔ fù

    show respect for one's grandfather

Similar words

爷爷yé yé: A warm, familiar name for a person's father's father in everyday family speech.
外公wài gōng: An everyday spoken name for the male elder who is a person's mother's father.
外祖父wài zǔ fù: A formal term for the male elder who is a person's mother's father, including in documents.

Definition in Chinese

父亲的父亲，指家中父系的男性长辈。fù qīn de fù qīn zhǐ jiā zhōng fù xì de nán xìng zhǎng bèi

Word origin

祖父 (zǔfù, "grandfather") combines 祖 (zǔ, "ancestor") with 父 (fù, "father"), making the paternal family relationship explicit.

Usage tips

  • In a family introduction, this term can sound more formal than the word used by children at home, so register is an important clue when listening to relatives talk.

Other meanings

  • grandpanoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 祖父母zǔ fù mǔgrandparentsnoun
  • 曾祖父zēng zǔ fùgreat-grandfathernoun
  • 外祖父wài zǔ fùmaternal grandfathernoun

Word lists with this word