How to Say “Single parent” in Chinese
Relationships and family · HSK 3
"Single parent" in Chinese is 单亲家长 (dān qīn jiā zhǎng). 单亲 literally means 'single parent' (单 = single, 亲 = parent/kin). In real conversation Chinese people almost always specify the gender; 单亲妈妈 (single mom) or 单亲爸爸 (single dad); rather than the neutral 单亲家长.
Primary translation
单亲家长
dān qīn jiā zhǎng
Traditional: 單親家長
Variants by register
Formal
单亲家长
dān qīn jiā zhǎng
Casual
单亲妈妈/单亲爸爸
dān qīn mā ma / dān qīn bà ba
When to use it
单亲 literally means 'single parent' (单 = single, 亲 = parent/kin). In real conversation Chinese people almost always specify the gender; 单亲妈妈 (single mom) or 单亲爸爸 (single dad); rather than the neutral 单亲家长. A single-parent family is 单亲家庭 (dān qīn jiā tíng). This topic still carries some social weight in China, though attitudes have shifted a lot among younger urban generations. Be careful: 单身 (dān shēn) means 'single' as in unmarried, not single-parent.
Example sentences
她是单亲妈妈，一个人把孩子带大。
Tā shì dān qīn mā ma, yí gè rén bǎ hái zi dài dà.
She's a single mom; she raised the kid on her own.
现在单亲家庭越来越多了。
Xiàn zài dān qīn jiā tíng yuè lái yuè duō le.
There are more and more single-parent families nowadays.
做单亲家长真的不容易。
Zuò dān qīn jiā zhǎng zhēn de bù róng yì.
Being a single parent really isn't easy.