How to Say “My son” in Chinese
Relationships and family · HSK 2
"My son" in Chinese is 我儿子 (Wǒ érzi). 儿子 (érzi) is the standard word for 'son' and the second character is pronounced with a neutral tone. In casual speech between parents, many people say 我儿 (wǒ ér) or use the baby's nickname.
Primary translation
我儿子
Wǒ érzi
Traditional: 我兒子
When to use it
儿子 (érzi) is the standard word for 'son' and the second character is pronounced with a neutral tone. In casual speech between parents, many people say 我儿 (wǒ ér) or use the baby's nickname. Notice Chinese drops 的 (de) between possessor and family member; it's 我儿子, not 我的儿子. Including 的 sounds unnaturally distant, like you're talking about someone else's child. Chinese parents also commonly call their son 宝贝 (bǎobèi, 'treasure') or 儿子 directly as a term of address, which sounds warm, not stiff.
Example sentences
我儿子今年八岁。
Wǒ érzi jīnnián bā suì.
My son is eight this year.
这是我儿子，他叫小明。
Zhè shì wǒ érzi, tā jiào Xiǎomíng.
This is my son, his name is Xiaoming.
我儿子特别喜欢打篮球。
Wǒ érzi tèbié xǐhuān dǎ lánqiú.
My son really loves playing basketball.