How do I say 'girlfriend / boyfriend'?

Chinese dating vocabulary is straightforward but carries cultural weight in its nuances:

• 女朋友 / 男朋友 — the standard terms. No ambiguity: 女朋友 means romantic girlfriend, not female friend. If you need to specify a platonic female friend, say 女性朋友 or just 朋友.
• 对象 — the serious partner word. 对象 implies the relationship is heading toward marriage, or at least that it is serious enough to be introduced to family. Parents ask 有对象了吗？(Do you have a partner?), not 有女朋友了吗？. Using 对象 for a two-week relationship would feel premature.
• 老婆 / 老公 — wife / husband, but casually used by couples even before marriage, especially among younger generations. More intimate and domestic in feel.

The relationship-status question: 你有对象吗？is the polite, serious form. 你有男/女朋友吗？is more casual. The parent generation heavily favors 对象 — it is the word that signals marriage-readiness.

A useful cultural note: being single in China past a certain age (roughly late 20s) attracts family pressure (催婚 — cuī hūn, “marriage urging”). 找对象 (find a partner) is a constant topic of parental concern. Understanding 对象 as distinct from 男/女朋友 helps you navigate these conversations accurately.