n.
maternal grandfather
姥爷
Common Usage & Traps
- 姥姥姥爷 — maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather
- 我姥爷 — my maternal grandfather
- 姥爷家 — maternal grandfather's home
- 姥爷，您喝茶 — Grandpa, please drink tea
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妈妈的爸爸叫爷爷妈妈的爸爸叫姥爷English grandfather covers both sides, but Chinese separates dad's side from mom's side.
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叫陌生老人姥爷叫陌生老人爷爷姥爷 marks your own mom's father, not any older man.
Is your mom's dad your 爷爷 or your 姥爷?
Your mom's dad is 姥爷; your dad's dad is 爷爷.
English uses one word, grandfather, for both sides of the family. Chinese splits the family by side: 爷爷 is dad's dad, 姥爷 is mom's dad. Call your mom's father 爷爷 and relatives will hear the mix-up instantly. “妈妈的爸爸叫姥爷。” (Mommy's daddy is called 姥爷 (Grandpa on Mom's side).) ── [《我的家人（1）》](/read/my-family-members-1#s6)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Mom's dad | 姥爷 | 爷爷 |
| Dad's dad | 爷爷 | 姥爷 |
Do northern and southern Chinese both say 姥爷 for mom's dad?
No. 姥爷 is northern; many southerners say 外公.
Both 姥爷 and 外公 mean mom's dad, but they are regional. Northern Mandarin prefers 姥爷; Taiwan and many southern areas prefer 外公. Neither is wrong, so don't correct a southerner who says 外公.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Northern China | 姥爷 | 外公 (sounds southern) |
| Taiwan and south China | 外公 | 姥爷 (sounds northern) |
Can you call your 姥爷 directly as 姥爷?
Yes. 姥爷 works both as 'my grandpa' and as 'Grandpa!'.
Kinship words like 姥爷 can be used as a name when you speak to him. You say 姥爷，您喝茶, just like 爸爸，吃饭了. When talking about him, say 我姥爷, not 我妈妈的爸爸, unless you want to sound stiff.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Talking to him | 姥爷，您喝茶。 | 我姥爷，您喝茶。 |
| Talking about him | 我姥爷今天来。 | 我妈妈的爸爸今天来。 |
Is 姥爷 pronounced lǎoyé or lǎoye?
Say lǎo-ye, with the second syllable light, not full second tone.
The second syllable in 姥爷 is light and short, not a full second tone. It follows the same rhythm as 爷爷 yé-ye and 奶奶 nǎi-nai. If you say lǎoyé, it sounds stressed and unnatural.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | lǎoye | lǎoyé |
| Second syllable | light and short | full second tone |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Before you read, meet the grandparents! This rhyming chant helps you practice the different names for maternal and paternal grandparents in Chinese. Listen to the beat and repeat.
- Scene #1
妈妈的爸爸叫 姥爷 。
- Scene #2
爷爷和奶奶， 姥爷 和姥姥，他们都爱我，我也爱他们。
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