爷爷
paternal grandfather
yéye
What does 爷爷 mean?
爷爷 (yéye) is the everyday Chinese word for 'paternal grandfather' — the father's father. It is also used as a friendly form of address for any elderly man (a child might call a kind stranger 爷爷). Two things often surprise English speakers. First, Chinese distinguishes paternal vs maternal grandparents with different words: 爷爷 is your dad's dad, while your mum's dad is 外公 (wàigōng) or 姥爷 (lǎoye).
English collapses both into 'grandfather'. Second, 爷爷 is direct address as well as a noun — you call him 爷爷 to his face, and refer to him as 我爷爷 ('my grandpa') in speech. The written / formal form is 祖父 (zǔfù), used in documents and obituaries but rarely in spoken family talk.
Note: Everyday family term. The formal/written equivalent is 祖父 (zǔfù).
Character breakdown
grandfather; elderly man; sir
(reduplication, neutral tone)
Memory hook: Reduplicated kin terms (爸爸, 妈妈, 爷爷, 奶奶) are the warm everyday family words taught to children.
Measure word for 爷爷
Example sentences
我爷爷今年八十岁了。
Wǒ yéye jīnnián bāshí suì le.
My grandpa turned eighty this year.
spoken
周末我去看爷爷奶奶。
Zhōumò wǒ qù kàn yéye nǎinai.
On the weekend I'm going to visit grandpa and grandma.
spoken
爷爷，我回来了！
Yéye, wǒ huílái le!
Grandpa, I'm home!
spoken
我爷爷喜欢喝茶。
Wǒ yéye xǐhuān hē chá.
My grandpa likes drinking tea.
spoken
这位老爷爷已经九十岁了。
Zhè wèi lǎo yéye yǐjīng jiǔshí suì le.
This elderly gentleman is already ninety.
neutral
Common phrases with 爷爷
Synonyms
祖父 is the formal / written word for paternal grandfather, used in documents, obituaries, and formal speech. 爷爷 is what you actually call him and use in conversation.
Don't confuse 爷爷 with
外公 (also 姥爷 lǎoye in the north) is your MATERNAL grandfather — your mum's dad. 爷爷 is your PATERNAL grandfather — your dad's dad. Chinese always distinguishes the two sides.