Philippine Kinship

Philippine kinship uses the Generational system (see Kinship terminology) to define family. Within common typologies, the Philippine system is one of the most simple classificatory systems of kinship compared to the complex U.S. kinship system (see Cousin). The literal genetic relationship, or whether the person being addressed is in the actual bloodline or not, is often overridden by the desire to show proper respect that is due in the Philippine culture to age and the nature of the relationship, which are considered more important.

In it, the literal differences are distinguished by generation, age, and in some cases by gender. However, non-Filipinos can be confused by apparently similar relationships being handled verbally differently by the same person, which generally occurs because of the circumstantial relationship or because some authority is represented by the addressee. Other factors that affect how a person is addressed are whether the two are familiar with each other, new to each other's acquaintance, or perhaps involved in a secondary relationship that imparts authority, such as one person being the supervisor of another at work.

As an example, a teenage girl would call her older brother "kuya". She would also tend to call her older male cousin "kuya". The fact that he is an older, blood-related male is more important than the fact that a brother is not genetically related to the same degree that a cousin is. The term "kuya" is actually likely to applied to any older male who is within her generation and should be treated with respect, perhaps even the very close friends of her brother. Thus, the terms used are often intended to show the degree of the relationship and the type of relationship, rather than literal biological relationship.

This can be seen in social settings such as Facebook when Filipino teenagers use the standard "brothers" and "sisters" categories to list any contemporary who is what USA culture would more likely call a "best friend".