| Father |
There are many different words for father in India because there
are 14 official languages not to mention lingering traces of Sanskrit and
influences of Urdu in Northern India. Some common terms for father are: Daddy,
Baba, and Papa. |
| Mother |
The same applies for mother as for father. Common forms of mother
are: Mummy, Ma, Ama, Mata. |
| Husband |
|
| Wife |
|
| Sister |
Bayhen pronounced Bay hen and Didi, pronounced like the name Dee
Dee. Bayhen is very formal and rarely used in
everyday conversations. It is more often used in movies
or books. Didi is the most common way of addressing your sister. |
| Brother |
Bhiya pronounced Ba hi ya |
| Maternal GrandFather |
Nanaji pronounced Nana jee – Ji is a symbol of respect and is
almost always attached to older relatives terms. |
| Maternal GrandMother |
Naniji pronounced Nannie Jee |
| Paternal GrandFather |
Dadaji pronounced Da Da Jee |
| Paternal GrandMother |
Dadiji pronounced da dee jee |
| Aunt (mother’s sister) |
Massiji pronounced Mass ee jee |
| Aunt (father’s sister) |
Buahji pronounced boo ah jee |
| Uncle (mother’s brother) |
Mamaji pronounced Mama jee |
| Uncle (father’s younger brother) |
Chachaji pronounced Cha Cha jee |
| Uncle (father’s elder brother) |
Taoji pronounced T ‘ ow jee |
| Aunt (mother’s brother’s wife) |
Mamiji pronounced Mommy jee |
| Aunt (father’s younger brother’s wife) |
Chachiji pronounced Cha Chee Jee |
| Aunt (father’s elder brother’s wife) |
Taiji pronounced Tie Jee |
| Cousin (mother’s or father's niece or
nephew) |
This is where it can get complicated
for westerners. In the US we call all cousins "cousin"
and if necessary we will explain that this is our
maternal cousin or paternal cousin by saying something
like "this is my mother's sister's son". In India,
cousins on both sides of the family are considered
cousin-sisters and cousin-brothers. Therefore, a person
may be introduced as someone's brother or sister when
they are really their cousin. It is interesting to note
that when someone is in a situation that the amount of
brothers and sisters a person has might affect the
outcome, such as when arranged marriages are being
spoken about between both parties, care will be taken to
make sure the other party understands that the person is
a cousin-sister or cousin-brother. It is often the case
that the elder cousin is referred to as "bhaiya" or "didi"
by the younger cousin. If they are very close, the
younger one may even use the older cousin's name but the
term for brother or sister is always used to show
respect. Example, "Naveen Bhiya" or "Divya Didi |
| Husband's Brother’s wife or Cousin-
Brother's wife
|
Told you this could get complicated. Now when
a brother or cousin brother
marries a woman, the younger cousins will refer to her as Bhabi,
pronounced B’ha Bee or in Punjab they may refer to her
Bharjai, pronounced B'har jie. Often, they will just call her by this term, but sometimes to
distinguish between one Bhabi and another, it is necessary to put her name with
the term such as Melanie Bhabi. Technically, this
term is used only by the person who is related to the
husband. For example, Melanie is married to Naveen.
Therefore, technically speaking, Naveen's actual brother
and cousins would address Melanie as Bhabi but their
spouses would not. Naveen's brother's wife would
more likely call Melanie "Didi" to mean sister if
Melanie were elder to her, otherwise they would most
likely call each other by name depending on the
closeness of the relationship. |
| Husband's Sister’s husband or Cousin-
Sister's Husband |
|
| Wife's Brother's wife or
Cousin-Brother's wife |
|
| Wife's Sister’s husband or Cousin- Sister's Husband |
|
| |
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Confused you enough yet? More Later
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