爷爷 (yé ye) is a respectful and affectionate term for one’s paternal grandfather—the father of one’s father. Though the character 爷 appears twice, it is not a reduplicated verb or adjective; rather, this is a fixed, disyllabic kinship noun with no literal ‘grand’ or ‘father’ meaning per character—instead, the repetition signals intimacy and cultural familiarity, much like ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy’ in English. It is used primarily in spoken, informal contexts within families, especially by children and younger relatives.

The term carries warm, familial connotations and reflects traditional Chinese emphasis on patrilineal lineage. Unlike formal terms such as 祖父 (zǔ fù), which is neutral and used in writing or official contexts, 爷爷 is conversational and emotionally warm. It is never used to refer to maternal grandfathers—that relationship uses 外公 (wài gōng). Pronunciation is yé ye (both syllables with the second tone), and tone sandhi does not apply here since both characters retain their original tones in this compound.