Home › Chinese › Glossary › relative
Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "relative" in Chinese?
亲戚
qīn qī
In Chinese, "relative" is 亲戚 (qīn qī).
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Chinese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
The pinyin "qīn qī" takes first tone, then first tone, meaning held flat and steady, almost like humming one note. Keep the 2 syllables of qīn qī distinct rather than blending them together.
Writing and usage
亲戚 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
一位远房亲戚上周来访了我们。
yī wèi yuǎn fáng qīn qī shàng zhōu lái fǎng le wǒ men 。
A distant relative visited us last week.
Test your Chinese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember 亲戚
Let the scene from "A distant relative visited us last week" be your mental shortcut for "qīn qī".
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 亲戚
How do you pronounce 亲戚?
The pinyin "qīn qī" takes first tone, then first tone, meaning held flat and steady, almost like humming one note. Keep the 2 syllables of qīn qī distinct rather than blending them together.
Is 亲戚 formal or casual?
亲戚 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 亲戚 used in Chinese?
亲戚 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 一位远房亲戚上周来访了我们。 (A distant relative visited us last week.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Relative" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town