# maternal grandfather



## Guayaba

您们好!
有人知道用中文怎么说"maternal grandfather"?  "Paternal grandfather" 就是"爷爷"或者"祖父",对不对?  可是"maternal grandfather"惟一个说法是"外祖父"吗?
多谢!

Hello Everyone!

Does anyone know how to say "maternal grandfather" in Chinese?  "Paternal Grandfather" is "yéye" or "zǔfù", correct?  But is "wàizǔfù" the only way to say "maternal grandfather"?

Thank you!


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## Kwunlam

Guayaba said:


> 您们好!
> 有人知道用中文怎么说"maternal grandfather"?  "Paternal grandfather" 就是"爷爷"或者"祖父",对不对?  可是"maternal grandfather"惟一个说法是"外祖父"吗?
> 多谢!



外公 (wai4gong1) is also a possible expression. 

By the way, we do not call our paternal grandfathers by "祖父", we call them "爷爷". "祖父" sounds more formal and less familiar; we use it when we present our paternal grandfathers in some more formal occasion. The difference is similar to the difference between 爸爸 and 父亲.


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## univerio

外公 or, in some places, 公公.


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## kongkankan

univerio said:


> 外公 or, in some places, 公公.


Generally,we call father-in-law by 公公。


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## univerio

kongkankan said:


> Generally,we call father-in-law by 公公。



Regional difference, I guess. "Father-in-law" in most places would simply be 爸爸.


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## Guayaba

所以多半的人就把"maternal grandmother"翻成"外公".
非常感谢!
您们真的给了我很大的帮助!
我总是珍惜所有的帮助和建议. 

So most people translate "maternal grandmother" as "wàigōng".
Thank you so much!
You all have truly helped me!
I always treasure all asistance and suggestions


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## kongkankan

univerio said:


> Regional difference, I guess. "Father-in-law" in most places would simply be 爸爸.


Yes.Extremely colloquially,爸爸 is used.But I am not sure whether 公公 can also mean grandpa.


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## kongkankan

Guayaba said:


> 所以多半的人就把"maternal grandmother"翻成"外公".
> 非常感谢!
> 您们真的给了我很大的帮助!
> 我总是珍惜所有的帮助和建议.
> 
> So most people translate "maternal grandmother" as "wàigōng".
> Thank you so much!
> You all have truly helped me!
> I always treasure all asistance and suggestions


Oh,"maternal grandmother" is 外婆。


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## kastner

univerio said:


> 外公 or, in some places, 公公.



I agree to kongkankan.
According to 《现代汉语词典》, it says

公公
 gōng gong
①husband's father
②(dialect) grandfather
③(dialect) maternal grandfather
④expression of honor for old men
⑤eunuch 

I've never heard of 公公 as maternal grandfather, in Taiwan people will call 阿公 (that might be also indicate to ② ?)


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## kastner

By the way, it will be good to stick to standard language. Actually, In Wu dialect, 爹爹 diedie could mean grandfather as well.


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## Martindehk

In some area, we also call the maternal grandfather as “姥爺” / “姥爷” and maternal grand mother as “姥姥”


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## xiaolijie

Maternal grandfather: 老爷
Maternal grandmother: 姥姥
（Almost the same as Martindehk said above）


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## samanthalee

Martindehk said:


> In some area, we also call the maternal grandfather as “姥爺” / “姥爷” and maternal grand mother as “姥姥”



Hi Martindehk,
When you say "In some area", are you referring to Cantonese speaking regions?


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## Martindehk

samanthalee said:


> Hi Martindehk,
> When you say "In some area", are you referring to Cantonese speaking regions?




No, I gather it's mainly used in 北方.  As far as I am aware,  Cantonese speakers tend to call maternal grandmother as "外婆" and maternal grandfather as "外公".


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## David

Guayaba said:


> So most people translate "maternal grandmother" as "wàigōng".



Some young friends in Washington DC, all of whom speak either Beijing-Putonghwa, Cantonese, or Shanghainese-Wu) as a first language, and who communicate among themselves in a mixture of those 3 languages, have all taken to calling me, their much older friend and something perhaps of a mentor, "wàigōng".

However, I could hardly be their "maternal grandmother", being a person of the male persuasion... Do I have the tones wrong, or is the phrase used as an honorific for anybody too old to be addressed as "homey"?

Reply in English, pls.


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## xiaolijie

David, it may be a typing error by *Guayaba.* "Waigong" should be, if anything, _"Maternal Grandfather"_. It just can't be the other way round.


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## kareno999

xiaolijie said:


> Maternal grandfather: 老姥爷
> Maternal grandmother: 姥姥
> （Almost the same as Martindehk said above）


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## xiaolijie

kareno999 said:
			
		

> Maternal grandfather: 老姥爷


Thanks for the correction, kareno999, but after a bit of looking around it appears that both 老爷 and 姥爷 are acceptable/ in use.


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## Guayaba

Guayaba said:


> 所以多半的人就把"maternal grandmother"翻成"外公".
> 非常感谢!
> 您们真的给了我很大的帮助!
> 我总是珍惜所有的帮助和建议.
> 
> So most people translate "maternal grandmother" as "wàigōng".
> Thank you so much!
> You all have truly helped me!
> I always treasure all asistance and suggestions


 
不好意思!

It was a typing error.  The English should have been "maternal grandfather".  My apologies for the confusion!


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## viqkhn

"外公" ，"姥爷" 都对。 但在一些地方， 也叫 "爷爷"


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## kareno999

xiaolijie said:


> Thanks for the correction, kareno999, but after a bit of looking around it appears that both 老爷 and 姥爷 are acceptable/ in use.


老爷 means "My Lord"...


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