How to Say “My wife” in Chinese
Relationships and family · HSK 2
"My wife" in Chinese is 我妻子 (Wǒ qīzi). Chinese has a whole spectrum of words for 'wife' and the choice reveals a lot. 妻子 (qīzi) is neutral-standard, good for introductions.
Primary translation
我妻子
Wǒ qīzi
Variants by register
Formal
我的夫人
Wǒ de fūren
Casual
我老婆
Wǒ lǎopó
When to use it
Chinese has a whole spectrum of words for 'wife' and the choice reveals a lot. 妻子 (qīzi) is neutral-standard, good for introductions. 老婆 (lǎopó) is the warm, casual everyday word; what most Mainland men actually say. 太太 (tàitai) is common in Taiwan and Cantonese-speaking areas, slightly more refined. 夫人 (fūren) is formal and typically used to refer to someone else's wife respectfully (您夫人). Avoid 爱人 (àirén) unless you're over 60; it was standard in Mao-era China but now sounds dated. 媳妇 (xífù) means wife in northern dialects but daughter-in-law elsewhere; tricky.
Example sentences
这是我妻子，叫小丽。
Zhè shì wǒ qīzi, jiào Xiǎo Lì.
This is my wife, her name is Xiao Li.
我老婆做的饭最好吃。
Wǒ lǎopó zuò de fàn zuì hǎochī.
My wife's cooking is the best.
请问您夫人也来吗？
Qǐngwèn nín fūren yě lái ma?
May I ask, is your wife also coming?