How to Say “My niece” in Chinese
Relationships and family · HSK 3
"My niece" in Chinese is 我的侄女 (wǒ de zhí nǚ). Chinese family terms are brutally specific; there's no single word for 'niece.' 侄女 (zhínǚ) is your brother's daughter, while 外甥女 (wàishēngnǚ) is your sister's daughter.
Primary translation
我的侄女
wǒ de zhí nǚ
Traditional: 我的姪女
Variants by register
Formal
我的侄女
wǒ de zhí nǚ
Casual
我侄女
wǒ zhí nǚ
When to use it
Chinese family terms are brutally specific; there's no single word for 'niece.' 侄女 (zhínǚ) is your brother's daughter, while 外甥女 (wàishēngnǚ) is your sister's daughter. The 外 (wài, 'outside') prefix marks the maternal side; historically considered 'outside' the paternal family line. When speaking casually, Chinese speakers often drop 的 (de), saying 我侄女 instead of 我的侄女. Get the wrong term and relatives will gently correct you.
Example sentences
这是我侄女，今年八岁。
Zhè shì wǒ zhínǚ, jīnnián bā suì.
This is my niece, she's eight this year.
我侄女很聪明，钢琴弹得特别好。
Wǒ zhínǚ hěn cōngmíng, gāngqín tán de tèbié hǎo.
My niece is really smart, she plays piano exceptionally well.
周末我要去看我哥的女儿，就是我侄女。
Zhōumò wǒ yào qù kàn wǒ gē de nǚ'ér, jiùshì wǒ zhínǚ.
This weekend I'm going to see my older brother's daughter, that is, my niece.