Learn Chinese: Family & Age

Talking about family and age is an essential part of connecting with others in Chinese culture. This lesson introduces the vocabulary needed to describe your immediate family members and inquire about how old someone is. Understanding these basics allows you to share personal information and engage in common social exchanges. One key pattern involves the different ways to ask about age. While 多大 (duō dà) is the standard way to ask "how old," the word 几 (jǐ) is specifically used for "how many" when the expected answer is a small number, typically under ten. This makes 几 (jǐ) particularly useful when asking about a young 孩子 (hái zi) or child. When stating an age, you follow the number with 岁 (suì), and you can specify the timeframe by using 今年 (jīn nián) to mean "this year." Another important grammatical feature is the use of the measure word 个 (gè). In Chinese, you cannot simply put a number before a noun like 儿子 (ér zi) for son or 女儿 (nǚ ér) for daughter. Instead, you must place the measure word 个 (gè) in between to bridge the quantity and the person. Mastering these simple structures will help you discuss your family life with clarity and accuracy as you build your foundational Mandarin skills.