Definition

1. Noun:
   • The maternal side: Refers to a person's family relations and lineage connected through their mother.
   • Relatives on the mother's side: Specifically denotes the kin, such as uncles, aunts, and grandparents, who belong to the mother's family.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tôi về quê thăm bên ngoại. (I am going back to the hometown to visit the maternal side.)
  • Bên ngoại của anh ấy rất đông. (His maternal relatives are very numerous.)
  • Bà tôi bên ngoại là người Huế. (My grandmother on my mother's side is from Hue.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in contrast to "bên nội" (the paternal side), to specify which branch of the family is being discussed.
  • Lễ cưới sẽ có đầy đủ họ hàng bên nội và bên ngoại. (The wedding will have full attendance from relatives on both the paternal and maternal sides.)

Variants and Related Words

• Họ ngoại (n): The maternal clan or family name.

  • Anh ấy mang họ ngoại của mẹ. (He carries his mother's family name.)

• Bên ngoại can be part of more specific terms like "cậu bên ngoại" (maternal uncle) or "bà bên ngoại" (maternal grandmother), though these are often shortened in everyday speech.

Synonyms

• Maternal side: The family of one's mother.
• Distaff side: A formal or historical term for the maternal lineage.

Related Cultural Concepts

• In Vietnamese kinship, distinguishing between "bên nội" and "bên ngoại" is important for understanding family obligations, rituals, and lineage.
• "Bên ngoại" traditionally refers to the family a mother comes from, and her children are considered part of their father's lineage ("bên nội"), though they maintain close ties to the maternal side.

1. Maternel, on the distaff side
   • Người họ bên ngoại
     A relative on the distaff side