gu1 biu2姑表
Jyutpinggu1 biu2
Yalegū bíu
Definition
The relationship between cousins where one's mother is the sister of the other's father.
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
Cantonese kinship terms are highly specific compared to English, where cousin covers almost everyone. Using 姑表 clarifies that the link is through the father's sister and the mother's side. It is rarely used in casual conversation today, as most people simply use 表兄弟 or 表姊妹 to refer to any cousin on the mother's side.
Examples
He is my cousin, we used to play together when we were little.
Related words
Common phrases
male cousin on the mother's side (father's sister's son)
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 舅表, which refers to the children of one's mother's brother. Remember that 姑 refers to the father's sister, so 姑表 specifically tracks that branch of the family tree.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
