How to Say “My stepmom” in Chinese
Relationships and family · HSK 3
"My stepmom" in Chinese is 我的继母 (Wǒ de jìmǔ). 继母 (jìmǔ) is the neutral, written/formal word for stepmother; what you'd use on official forms or when introducing her politely. 后妈 (hòumā) is the spoken version but carries heavier baggage; fairy tales and TV dramas made 后妈 almost synonymous with 'wicked stepmother,' so people use it carefully.
Primary translation
我的继母
Wǒ de jìmǔ
Traditional: 我的繼母
Variants by register
Formal
我的继母
Wǒ de jìmǔ
Casual
我后妈
Wǒ hòumā
When to use it
继母 (jìmǔ) is the neutral, written/formal word for stepmother; what you'd use on official forms or when introducing her politely. 后妈 (hòumā) is the spoken version but carries heavier baggage; fairy tales and TV dramas made 后妈 almost synonymous with 'wicked stepmother,' so people use it carefully. Many kids who get along with their stepmom just call her 阿姨 (āyí, 'auntie') or even 妈 (mā) directly to sidestep the awkwardness. Blended families are less common in China than in the West, so the vocabulary can feel loaded.
Example sentences
这是我的继母，她对我非常好。
Zhè shì wǒ de jìmǔ, tā duì wǒ fēicháng hǎo.
This is my stepmom, she's very good to me.
我从小就叫她妈妈。
Wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù jiào tā māma.
I've called her mom since I was little.
我后妈做的菜比我亲妈还好吃。
Wǒ hòumā zuò de cài bǐ wǒ qīnmā hái hǎochī.
My stepmom cooks better than my biological mom.