How to Say “My godmother” in Chinese
Relationships and family · HSK 4
"My godmother" in Chinese is 我的教母 (wǒ de jiào mǔ). 教母 (jiào mǔ) is the religious/Western sense; a Christian godmother. The Chinese cultural equivalent is 干妈 (gān mā) or 干娘 (gān niáng), a 'dry mother.
Primary translation
我的教母
wǒ de jiào mǔ
Variants by register
Formal
我的教母
wǒ de jiào mǔ
Casual
我干妈
wǒ gān mā
When to use it
教母 (jiào mǔ) is the religious/Western sense; a Christian godmother. The Chinese cultural equivalent is 干妈 (gān mā) or 干娘 (gān niáng), a 'dry mother.' This bond is common in Chinese families: a close friend of the mother formally becomes the child's non-biological mother, sometimes through a 认亲 (rèn qīn, 'acknowledging kinship') ceremony. It's believed to bring good luck, especially for sickly children. 干妈 is far more commonly used in daily life than 教母. If you say 教母 to an older Chinese person, they'll assume you mean church; 干妈 they'll understand immediately.
Example sentences
我的教母在教堂见证了我的洗礼。
Wǒ de jiào mǔ zài jiào táng jiàn zhèng le wǒ de xǐ lǐ.
My godmother witnessed my baptism at the church.
我干妈做的红烧肉是全世界最好吃的。
Wǒ gān mā zuò de hóng shāo ròu shì quán shì jiè zuì hǎo chī de.
My godmother's braised pork is the best in the world.
小时候生病，我干妈一直照顾我。
Xiǎo shí hòu shēng bìng, wǒ gān mā yì zhí zhào gù wǒ.
When I was sick as a kid, my godmother took care of me the whole time.