Basic and extended Rongmei kinship terms with their English equivalents and meanings into one large reference table.
📘 Rongmei Kinship Terminology
| Rongmei Word |
English Equivalent |
Meaning / Notes |
| apu |
Father |
Male parent |
| apui |
Mother |
Female parent |
| amang |
Elder Brother |
Older male sibling |
| ata / kainah |
Younger Brother |
Younger male sibling |
| apui / suanrei |
Elder Sister |
Older female sibling |
| apam |
Younger Sister |
Younger female sibling |
| nah |
Child |
Generic term for child |
| nah-mpou |
Son |
Male child |
| nah-aluh |
Daughter |
Female child |
| alu |
Girl / Daughter (general) |
Often used in address |
| abung |
Boy / Son (general) |
Often used in address |
| tou |
Grandchild |
Used for both grandson & granddaughter |
| tak |
Great-grandchild |
Descending generation term |
| pou |
Grandfather / MB / WF |
Also used honorifically for senior kin |
| pei |
Grandmother |
Both paternal & maternal sides |
| pou-dai |
Great-grandfather |
With suffix -dai = great/elder |
| pei-dai |
Great-grandmother |
With suffix -dai = great/elder |
| gaan |
Husband |
Spousal term of reference |
| now |
Wife |
Spousal term of reference |
| miau |
Daughter-in-law |
Wife of son |
| lu-gaan / atou |
Son-in-law |
Husband of daughter |
| ning |
Sister-in-law / Brother’s wife |
Used by both sexes for HZ, BW |
| mek |
Brother-in-law |
Wife’s brother |
| puinau |
Elder brother’s wife (for male ego) |
Specific honorific form |
| anei |
Father’s sister (aunt) |
Also used more broadly for paternal aunts |
| pui |
Mother / Mother’s sister |
Female parent and maternal aunts |
| nei |
Mother-in-law / Father’s sister |
Honorific maternal aunt term |
| cai |
Elder sibling (neutral) |
Covers elder brother/sister with suffixes |
| cailu |
Elder sister |
Derived from cai + lu |
| caibung |
Elder brother |
Derived from cai + bung |
| suanrei |
Sister (female ego use) |
General |
| caná |
Brother (male ego use) |
General |
| puilau |
Elder maternal uncle’s daughter (MBD, if elder) |
Also called “junior mother” |
| nou-chanu |
Younger MBD (cross-cousin) |
Marriageable cousin |
| gamei |
Male child (alternative to mpou) |
Found in some dialects |
| tumei / intumei |
Female child |
Found in some dialects |
| ganmei |
Male descendant (suffix) |
Used to mark gender in later generations |
| thang, ru, pai |
4th, 5th, 6th Descending generations |
Genealogical terms |
| tanpui-tanpu |
Classificatory siblings |
Used in clan exogamy rules |
| kaikhuang |
Clan |
Exogamous unit (marriage taboo) |
| Mpoulang / Impoulang |
Lineage / “sons of” |
Kinship grouping within clans |
✅ This table now includes lineal kin, collateral kin, affinal kin (in-laws), cousins, generational suffixes, and clan-related terms.
Groupwise
1. Ascending Generations
| Rongmei (Standard) | English Equivalent | Notes / Meaning | Usage (Address/Reference) | Dialectal Variations | Suffix Rule |
|---|
| pou | Grandfather / MB / WF | Used honorifically | (a)pou | pa, pa-bung | -dai = great ancestor |
| pei | Grandmother | Both sides | (a)pei | ma, pi | -dai = great ancestor |
| pou-dai | Great-grandfather | Oldest ancestor | Reference | — | -dai = great |
| pei-dai | Great-grandmother | Oldest female ancestor | Reference | — | -dai = great |
2. Parents & Their Siblings
| Rongmei | English | Notes | Usage | Dialectal | Suffix |
|---|
| apu | Father | Male parent | (a)pu | pa, puai | — |
| apui | Mother | Female parent | (a)pui | ma, puai | — |
| pu-thau | Father’s elder brother | Senior father | (a)pu-thau | apa-dai | -thau = elder |
| pu-lau | Father’s younger brother | Junior father | (a)pu-lau | apa-ton | -lau = younger |
| pui-thau | Mother’s elder sister | Senior mother | (a)pui-thau | ama-dai | -thau |
| pui-lau | Mother’s younger sister | Junior mother | (a)pui-lau | ama-ton | -lau |
| nei | Father’s sister | Aunt, also MIL | (a)nei | pi, chaipi | — |
| pou | Mother’s brother | MB, also GF | (a)pou | pa-bung | — |
3. Ego’s Generation (Siblings & Cousins)
| Rongmei | English | Notes | Usage | Dialectal | Suffix |
|---|
| cai | Elder sibling (neutral) | Used for both sexes | (a)cai | — | — |
| cai-bung | Elder brother | Male only | (a)caibung | bung | -bung |
| cai-lu | Elder sister | Female only | (a)cailu | api, chaipi | -lu |
| kainah | Younger sibling | Neutral | (a)kainah | kaina | — |
| cana | Brother (male ego) | Clan brother | Reference | — | — |
| suanrei | Sister (female ego) | Clan sister | Reference | — | — |
| FZS | Father’s sister’s son | Treated as grandchild | (a)tou | pou | — |
| FZD | Father’s sister’s daughter | Treated as grandchild | (a)tou / (a)puilau | pi-rao | — |
| MBS | Mother’s brother’s son | Treated as MB | (a)pou | pou | — |
| MBD | Mother’s brother’s daughter | Marriageable cousin | (a)puilau (elder) / nou-chanu (younger) | pi-rao | -lau / -chanu |
4. Descending Generations
| Rongmei | English | Notes | Usage | Dialectal | Suffix |
|---|
| nah | Child | Neutral | nah | — | — |
| nah-mpou | Son | Male child | nah-mpou | gamei | mpou |
| nah-aluh | Daughter | Female child | nah-aluh | tumei | aluh |
| abung | Boy (general) | Used for address | abung | — | — |
| alu | Girl (general) | Used for address | alu | — | — |
| tou | Grandchild | Both sexes | tou | — | ganmei (m), intumei (f) |
| tak | Great-grandchild | 2nd descending | tak | — | — |
| thang | 4th gen descendant | Lineal | thang | — | — |
| ru | 5th gen descendant | Lineal | ru | — | — |
| pai | 6th gen descendant | Lineal | pai | — | — |
5. Affinal Kin (In-laws)
| Rongmei | English | Notes | Usage | Dialectal | Suffix |
|---|
| gaan | Husband | Male spouse | gaan | — | — |
| now | Wife | Female spouse | now | — | — |
| puinau | Elder brother’s wife (male ego) | Honorific | (a)puinau | cai (Kabui) | — |
| ning | Sister-in-law / brother’s wife | General | (a)ning | — | — |
| mek | Wife’s brother | Brother-in-law | (a)mek | — | — |
| miau | Daughter-in-law | Son’s wife | miau | mao, mau | — |
| lu-gaan / atou | Son-in-law | Daughter’s husband | lu-gaan | — | lu+gaan |
| nei | Mother-in-law | Same as FZ | nei | — | — |
| pou | Father-in-law | Same as MB | pou | — | — |
6. Clan / Lineage Terms
| Rongmei | English | Notes | Usage | Dialectal | Suffix |
|---|
| kaikhuang | Clan | Exogamous unit | clan name | — | — |
| mpoulang / impoulang | Lineage | “sons of” | reference group | — | — |
| tanpu | Brothers (male speaker) | Patrilineal group | reference | — | pu = male |
| tanpui | Sisters (male speaker) | Patrilineal group | reference | — | pui = female |
