親戚

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 親戚 (しんせき) combines kinship 親 and relation 戚 to denote a relative.
• Basic usage: It covers distant family gathering for a holiday and a relative on one's mother's side.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A broad kinship term
  • 親戚 does not specify the exact family link; modifiers or context identify whether the person is an aunt, cousin, in-law, or another relative.