jan1 can3姻親姻亲
Jyutpingjan1 can3
Yaleyān chan
Definition
Relations by marriage, such as in-laws or relatives of a spouse.
neutralfamilypeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to relationships formed through marriage rather than blood ties. It is a formal term often used in legal or genealogical contexts to distinguish from blood relatives, known as 血親. In everyday casual conversation, people usually just refer to these individuals by their specific titles like 外父 or 奶奶.
Examples
Their two families became in-laws because of the marriage.
You are in-laws, you should keep in touch more often.
Related words
Common phrases
in-law relationship
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
