n.
(paternal) grandmother; grandma
奶奶
(paternal) grandmother; grandma
Father's mother (paternal grandmother). Spoken with affection and warmth in multigenerational family life.
Common Usage & Traps
- 我的奶奶 — my grandma (dad's mom)
- 奶奶家 — grandma's house
- 去看奶奶 — go visit Grandma
- 王奶奶 — Granny Wang / polite address for an older woman
- 爷爷奶奶 — paternal grandparents; elderly couple
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去奶奶去奶奶家 / 去奶奶那儿奶奶 is the person, not the house. English 'go to Grandma's' hides the word house, but Chinese needs 家 or 那儿.
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妈妈的妈妈叫奶奶爸爸的妈妈叫奶奶奶奶 is your dad's mom. English 'grandma' blurs both sides, so learners often attach it to the wrong parent.
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nǎi nǎinǎi naiThe second syllable goes light and quick in normal speech. Two heavy third tones sound like a dictionary reading.
Does 奶奶 mean any grandmother?
奶奶 is your dad's mom, not your mom's mom.
English uses one word, grandma, for both sides of the family, but Chinese does not. 奶奶 is specifically your father's mother, never your mother's mother. Your mother's mother gets a different kinship word, often 外婆 or 姥姥 depending on region. If you call your mom's mom 奶奶, relatives will immediately correct you.
“爸爸的妈妈叫奶奶。” (Daddy's mommy is called Grandma (nǎinai).)
“爸爸的妈妈叫奶奶。” (Daddy's mommy is called Grandma (nǎinai).)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Your dad's mom | 奶奶 | 妈妈的妈妈 |
| Your mom's mom | 妈妈的妈妈 | 奶奶 |
Can you say 去奶奶 to mean go to Grandma's?
No. 奶奶 is a person; add 家 or 那儿 for the place.
English lets you say go to Grandma's without saying house. Chinese does not. 去奶奶 sounds like you are going to Grandma as a destination object. Say 去奶奶家 or 去奶奶那儿. For a visit, 看奶奶 or 去看奶奶 works naturally.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Go to her place | 去奶奶家 / 去奶奶那儿 | 去奶奶 |
| Visit Grandma | 去看奶奶 / 看奶奶 | 去奶奶 |
Can you call any older woman 奶奶?
Yes, but it is polite and common, not only for family.
Inside the family, 奶奶 means your dad's mom. Outside the family, calling an elderly woman 奶奶 is warm and respectful. It works like ma'am or granny without claiming blood relation. If you know her surname, 王奶奶 is very common. Do not use it for a young or middle-aged woman, because it points at age.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Your dad's mom | 奶奶 | Her given name |
| Elderly neighbor | 王奶奶 / 奶奶 | 喂 |
Is 奶奶 pronounced nǎi nǎi or nǎi nai?
Say nǎi nai: the second syllable is light, not a full third tone.
Reduplicated family words often lighten the second syllable in real speech. 奶奶 is nǎi nai, not nǎi nǎi. The same rhythm shows up in 爷爷, 爸爸, and 妈妈. If you hit both third tones hard, it sounds like you are reading a dictionary.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 奶奶 | nǎi nai | nǎi nǎi |
| 爷爷 | yé ye | yé yé |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | bà bà |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
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.
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爸爸的妈妈叫 奶奶 。
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爷爷和 奶奶 ，姥爷和姥姥，他们都爱我，我也爱他们。
This simple story introduces you to a family and what each member likes to do. Learn helpful words for food and daily activities as you read about Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and the kids.
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爷爷吃面包， 奶奶 喝牛奶。
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