‘表哥’ (biǎo gē) is a kinship term referring specifically to the son of one’s maternal uncle — that is, the male cousin on one’s mother’s side who is older than the speaker. The first character ‘表’ (biǎo) denotes ‘maternal-side’ or ‘affinal’ relatives (as opposed to ‘堂’ for paternal-side cousins), while ‘哥’ (gē) means ‘older brother’ and signals both seniority and familiarity. Unlike English ‘cousin’, Chinese kinship terms distinguish lineage (maternal vs. paternal), gender, relative age, and sometimes generation — making ‘表哥’ highly precise.

This term is commonly used in family conversations, introductions, storytelling, and formal contexts like wedding invitations or ancestral rites. It carries warmth and respect but is not used for strangers or distant relatives without established closeness. In spoken Mandarin, it’s often shortened to ‘表哥’ alone (without ‘哥哥’) even when addressing the person directly, reflecting its function as both noun and vocative.