Today I want to introduce Vietnamese learners the way Southern Vietnamese call their family - extended family members.
Why you should know this? Vietnamese people are very closed to their family and extended family, if you have a Vietnamese friend and they’re telling about their family, or inviting you to visit their family, or you marry into a Southern Vietnamese family, you need to prepare for this.
This is my video I made about this:
https://youtu.be/Rxf5YbdHqgE
I’ll be going from the oldest to the youngest
English Mention them Call them Call yourself Father's father Ông nội Ông nội or Nội Con Father’s mother Bà nội Bà nội or Nội Con Mother’s father Ông ngoại Ông ngoại or Ngoại Con Mother’s mother Bà ngoại Bà ngoại or Ngoại Con English Mention them Call them Call yourself Father Ba same as mention Con Father’s older brother Bác + [Birth Order + 1] same as mention or Bác Con Father’s younger brother Chú + [Birth Order + 1] same as mention or Chú Con Father’s younger brother’s wife Thím + [her husband birth order + 1] same as mention or Thím Con Father’s sister Cô + [Birth Order + 1] same as mention or Cô Con Father’s sister’s husband Dượng + [his wife birth order + 1] same as mention or Dượng Con Mother’s brother Cậu + [Birth Order + 1] same as mention or Cậu Con Mother’s brother’s wife Mợ + [her husband birth order + 1] same as mention or Mợ Con Mother’s sister Dì + [Birth Order + 1] same as mention or Dì Con Mother’s sister husband Dượng + [his wife birth order + 1] same as mention or Dượng Con Father/Mother’s youngest brother/sister You have choice to replace [Birth Order + 1] by Út *same as mention or Út Con Father/Mother’s youngest brother/sister’s spouse Dượng/thím/mợ + Út same as mention or Út Con English Mention them Call them Call yourself Older brother Anh + [Birth Order + 1] *same as mention or Anh Em Older sister Chị + [Birth Order + 1] *same as mention or Chị Em Younger brother/sister [Name] [Name] or Em Anh/Chị or Anh/Chị + [your birth order + 1 Older cousin Anh/Chị + [name] Anh/Chị + [name] Em or or Anh/Chị + [birth Order] + 1] + [name] Anh/Chị + [birth Order] + 1] + [name] Younger cousin same as younger brother/sister same as younger brother/sister same as younger brother/sister English Mention them Call them Call yourself Your children [Name] Con Ba/Mẹ or [whatever nickname you call them] Niece/Nephew [Name] Con [What they call you] or [Name]When it comes to your spouse’s side, you call them the same way you would call your own relatives.
However, when you mention about them to others, you need to add your spouse’s title after it.
Example:
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Ba ơi, hôm nay tụi con có quà tặng ba nè! (Talk to your wife’s father)
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Ba vợ con dạo này thích nấu ăn lắm! (Talk about him with an elder)
In Vietnamese culture, extended families often live nearby, and they really care about family order. That’s why Vietnamese pronouns are so specific. If you marry into a Southern Vietnamese family, especially in the Mekong Delta where I was born, you might be surprised by how many relatives you have. It can feel overwhelming at first, but later, you will see how much they care for each other, and step in to help when someone in need.
