tong4 hing1 dai6堂兄弟
Jyutpingtong4 hing1 dai6
Yaletòhng hīng daih
Definition
Sons of one's father's brothers; male cousins sharing the same paternal grandfather.
neutralfamilypeople
How it's used
Cantonese distinguishes between paternal and maternal cousins, unlike English which uses the umbrella term cousin. 堂兄弟 specifically refers to the sons of your father's brothers, while the children of your mother's siblings or your father's sisters are called 表兄弟. Using this term correctly highlights your specific lineage within a traditional Chinese family structure.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
My cousins and I used to play together all the time when we were kids.
Related words
Common phrases
close paternal cousins
Common mistake
Learners often use 表兄弟 for all cousins, but this is technically incorrect in a Chinese context. Remember that 堂 refers to the same surname lineage, whereas 表 refers to relatives outside that specific paternal line.
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.
