<p>I guess we should first remember that &quot;Mandarin&quot; is a related group with <strong>many dialects</strong>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/mDx4w.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/mDx4w.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>使用者分佈圖；深綠: <strong>官話</strong>, 淺綠: <a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%99%8B%E8%AF%AD" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>晉語</strong></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>「家婆」is <em>topolectical</em> (方言詞). In certain Mandarin <em>dialects</em>,「家婆」is a valid term for <em>the husband's mother</em>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>黃飛卿　《五伯娘和新兒媳》：＂五伯娘，你剛做家婆就這麼嘴碎。＂</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Have a look at <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A9%86%E5%A9%86#Synonyms" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>dialectical synonyms of husband's mother</em></a> for the Mandarin dialects which use「家婆」for this meaning. Note: no Mandarin dialect appears to use「奶奶」for this meaning.</p>
<hr />
<p>In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Standard Chinese</a> (普通話, 國語, 華語), which (with minor variations) is the national written and spoken standards of PRC, ROC (Taiwan), and Singapore, the word referring to <em>husband's mother</em> is unambiguously「婆婆」.「家婆」is non-standard.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T13:07:42.150Z
interesting, But when Cantonese people mention Mandarin,  we are referring 普通話, the official standard Mandarin dialect. Sub- dialects within Mandarin are not considered. Similarly, sub- dialects within 廣州話 (Canton Cantonese) would not be considered a standard Cantonese term
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T13:09:25.150Z
@TangHo the link ("dialectical synonyms of husband's mother") includes *formal written standard Chinese*, which only uses the word 婆婆, so if you're looking for 普通話, the answer is no. I mentioned Mandarin dialects because most other people who answer the question will either say "no", or probably mention something like *I'm from XX place, and my hometown uses that word, and I natively speak Mandarin, so yes*.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T13:12:10.633Z
@doooze you can add this in your answer, I do look for 普通話
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T13:31:28.577Z
@doooze 奶奶 http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/11337/ for the meaning of 'husband's mother ' is apparently a Cantonese only term
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T13:34:31.077Z
@TangHo Apparently people who speak [瑞金話](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%91%9E%E9%87%91%E8%A9%B1), a dialect of 客家語, also uses 奶奶. (I can't confirm this though)
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T09:33:17.303Z
2019-07-27T13:17:00.527Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
dROOOze
<p>The reason I ask this question is <a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/40355/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this dictionary</a> said the term 家婆 is used in both Cantonese and Mandarin/Standard written Chinese.</p>

<p>After a closer look at the entry, I noticed it only listed the jyuping (Cantonese): /gaa1 po4*2/ for this entry. The Mandarin pinyin is not listed. The only reason I can think of is this term is Cantonese only. The note that stated this term is used in both Cantonese and Mandarin is obviously incorrect</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T07:03:15.520Z
2019-07-27T07:03:15.520Z
Tang Ho
<p>No,I’ m native mandarin speaker,i have not heard anyone use 家婆 in northern China.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-27T06:32:58.163Z
2019-07-27T06:32:58.163Z
Zhang ZY
<p>In Cantonese, a woman would call her mother in law her "家婆" or her "奶奶", and address her only as "奶奶".</p>

<p>My understanding of the same terms in Mandarin is, a woman would call her mother in law her "婆婆" and address her as "婆婆" as well (<em>Cantonese do not do that, because "婆婆" can mean 外婆 - 'mother's mother ' in Cantonese</em>)</p>

<p>My question is, do Mandarin speakers use the term "家婆" to refer to a woman's mother in law? </p>

<p>I also suspect Mandarin speaking women do not address their mother in law as "奶奶" because "奶奶" could also mean grand mother (father's mother) in Mandarin. (<em>Cantonese do not use "奶奶" for "father's mother", Father's mother is 嫲嫲 or 阿嫲 in Cantonese</em>) </p>

<p><strong>Note:</strong> <em>when Cantonese people mention Mandarin, we are referring 普通話, the official standard Mandarin dialect. Sub- dialects within Mandarin are not considered.</em> </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-26T19:15:12.073Z
I think your thought is correct, I am from 陕西 and I know a lot of people from other parts, you should be correct.
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-31T23:45:49.780Z
In Cantonese, when saying 家公, 家婆, the listener is outside the husband's family. 家 is a polite words for introducing family members like 家父,家母, 家嚴, 家慈.
OmniBus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-11T07:49:46.937Z
@OmniBus  家公, 家婆 are unique terms, different from 家父,家母, 家嚴, 家慈. We know that because we can use 家公, 家婆 to refer to other people's father in law and mother in law. For example: "你家公家婆" (your father in law and mother in law).  We never say 你家父, only the son can refer to his father as 家父
Tang Ho
<mandarin><difference><cantonese>
Is 家婆 the term for a woman's "mother in law" in Mandarin too?
# Is 家婆 the term for a woman's "mother in law" in Mandarin too?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-26)

In Cantonese, a woman would call her mother in law her "家婆" or her "奶奶", and address her only as "奶奶".

My understanding of the same terms in Mandarin is, a woman would call her mother in law her "婆婆" and address her as "婆婆" as well (*Cantonese do not do that, because "婆婆" can mean 外婆 - 'mother's mother ' in Cantonese*)

My question is, do Mandarin speakers use the term "家婆" to refer to a woman's mother in law?

I also suspect Mandarin speaking women do not address their mother in law as "奶奶" because "奶奶" could also mean grand mother (father's mother) in Mandarin. (*Cantonese do not use "奶奶" for "father's mother", Father's mother is 嫲嫲 or 阿嫲 in Cantonese*)

**Note:** *when Cantonese people mention Mandarin, we are referring 普通話, the official standard Mandarin dialect. Sub- dialects within Mandarin are not considered.*

**Tags:** mandarin, difference, cantonese

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think your thought is correct, I am from 陕西 and I know a lot of people from other parts, you should be correct.  
> **username_2**: In Cantonese, when saying 家公, 家婆, the listener is outside the husband's family. 家 is a polite words for introducing family members like 家父,家母, 家嚴, 家慈.  
> **username_0**: @username_2  家公, 家婆 are unique terms, different from 家父,家母, 家嚴, 家慈. We know that because we can use 家公, 家婆 to refer to other people's father in law and mother in law. For example: "你家公家婆" (your father in law and mother in law).  We never say 你家父, only the son can refer to his father as 家父  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-07-27. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

I guess we should first remember that "Mandarin" is a related group with **many dialects**.

> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/mDx4w.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/mDx4w.png)
>
> 使用者分佈圖；深綠: **官話**, 淺綠: [**晉語**](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%99%8B%E8%AF%AD)

「家婆」is *topolectical* (方言詞). In certain Mandarin *dialects*,「家婆」is a valid term for *the husband's mother*.

> 黃飛卿　《五伯娘和新兒媳》：＂五伯娘，你剛做家婆就這麼嘴碎。＂

Have a look at [*dialectical synonyms of husband's mother*](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A9%86%E5%A9%86#Synonyms) for the Mandarin dialects which use「家婆」for this meaning. Note: no Mandarin dialect appears to use「奶奶」for this meaning.

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In [Standard Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese) (普通話, 國語, 華語), which (with minor variations) is the national written and spoken standards of PRC, ROC (Taiwan), and Singapore, the word referring to *husband's mother* is unambiguously「婆婆」.「家婆」is non-standard.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: interesting, But when Cantonese people mention Mandarin,  we are referring 普通話, the official standard Mandarin dialect. Sub- dialects within Mandarin are not considered. Similarly, sub- dialects within 廣州話 (Canton Cantonese) would not be considered a standard Cantonese term  
> **username_3**: @TangHo the link ("dialectical synonyms of husband's mother") includes *formal written standard Chinese*, which only uses the word 婆婆, so if you're looking for 普通話, the answer is no. I mentioned Mandarin dialects because most other people who answer the question will either say "no", or probably mention something like *I'm from XX place, and my hometown uses that word, and I natively speak Mandarin, so yes*.  
> **username_0**: @doooze you can add this in your answer, I do look for 普通話  
> **username_0**: @doooze 奶奶 http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/11337/ for the meaning of 'husband's mother ' is apparently a Cantonese only term  
> **username_3**: @TangHo Apparently people who speak [瑞金話](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%91%9E%E9%87%91%E8%A9%B1), a dialect of 客家語, also uses 奶奶. (I can't confirm this though)  

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### Answer by username_0 on 2019-07-27. Score: 1

The reason I ask this question is [this dictionary](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/40355/) said the term 家婆 is used in both Cantonese and Mandarin/Standard written Chinese.

After a closer look at the entry, I noticed it only listed the jyuping (Cantonese): /gaa1 po4\*2/ for this entry. The Mandarin pinyin is not listed. The only reason I can think of is this term is Cantonese only. The note that stated this term is used in both Cantonese and Mandarin is obviously incorrect


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### Answer by username_4 on 2019-07-27. Score: 1

No,I’ m native mandarin speaker,i have not heard anyone use 家婆 in northern China.


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