# Urdu: cousin



## mundiya

Besides "kazan" which words does Urdu use?  Do you have different terms for first, second, third, etc cousins?  I wasn't sure if the Urdu terms are the same as the Hindi ones.

Thanks.


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## marrish

I can't remember any terms for second or third cousins in Urdu. There are however many different terms for first cousins.

The words used for cousins are derived from the terms of relation 'uncle' or 'aunt', formed as compounds employing the suffix -_zaad/-ii_, e.g. خالہ زاد '_xaalah-zaad_', چچا زادی '_chachaa-zaadii_', ماموں زاد '_maamuuN-zaad_'.  بھائی "_bhaa'ii_" (m.) and بہن "_bahan_" (f.) go often together: خالہ زاد بھائی '_xaalah-zaad bhaa'ii_' etc.

Other way of referring to cousins uses لڑکا ؍۔ی'_laRkaa/-ii_', بیٹا ؍۔ی'_beTaa/-ii_' in combination with the various terms for 'uncle', 'aunt': بھوپھی کی لڑکی _phuuphii kii laRkii_, چچا کی بیٹی '_chachaa kii beTii_'.

That's not all, though. There are also numerous terms using an adjective indicating the relation 'uncle' or 'aunt' with  بھائی '_bhaa'ii_' or بہن _bahan_: تائیرا بھائی _taa'iiraa bhaa'ii_, چچیری بہن _chacherii bahan_. 

کزن بھائی ؍ بہن _kazin bhaa'ii/bahan_ are also used or just _bhaa'ii_ / _bahan_.


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## Qureshpor

^ In addition to chacheraa/chacherii etc, there are of course mameraa, xaleraa, phupheraa. I don't think there is "maseraa" in Urdu but there is "maser" in Punjabi for maasii's (note: not mausii) son or daughter. I hope I have spelt all these words correctly.


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## Sheikh_14

The specificity of the Urdu language as opposed to the generality of english with regards to relations though amusing can be a mouthful. Is chachera a term for the male offspring and chacherii for the female offspring of your chacha, chachii? If so what would your ta3ya, ta3'ii's offspring be called under this pattern.


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## Qureshpor

Sheikh_14 said:


> The specificity of the Urdu language as opposed to the generality of english with regards to relations though amusing can be a mouthful. Is chachera a term for the male offspring and chacherii for the female offspring of your chacha, chachii? If so what would your ta3ya, ta3'ii's offspring be called under this pattern.


Please see post 2.


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## Sheikh_14

Is chachera chacherii sufficient on its own or are bhai behen requisite suffixes for chacha/chachii zaad? In other words is chachera equivalent to "of your chacha" or your chacha/chaachii's male offspring and chacherii the female offspring?


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## marrish

No, no, yes, yes.


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## Sheikh_14

Marrish saahib the first two questions are opposites hence one must be right and the other wrong. The next two are again conflicting and thus cannot both be correct without any clarification.


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## Qureshpor

Sheikh_14 said:


> Is chachera chacherii sufficient on its own..No
> or are bhai behen requisite suffixes for chacha/chachii zaad? Yes
> 
> In other words is chachera equivalent to "of your chacha".....Yes or your chacha/chaachii's male offspring and chacherii the female offspring? Yes


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## Sheikh_14

Perfetto! But it would be odd to say Chacherii bhai even though chacherii just means of your chaachii rather than your chaacha/chaachii's female offspring.


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## mundiya

Based on marrish saahab's post 7, the answer to Sheikh saahab's second question should be "No".  From my understanding of post 2, "chachaa zaad" is "chachaa zaad bhaa'ii"; also "chachaa zaadii" is "chachaa zaad bahan".


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## marrish

^ As for me your understanding of what I said is right, of both posts but I said in the No. 2 that "بھائی "_bhaa'ii" (m.) and بہن "bahan" (f.) *go often together*: خالہ زاد بھائی 'xaalah-zaad bhaa'ii' etc._" so the answer to the question "are bhai behen *requisite* suffixes for chacha/chachii zaad?" is in my opinion a "No".


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## marrish

Sheikh_14 said:


> Is chachera chacherii sufficient on its own or are bhai behen requisite suffixes for chacha/chachii zaad? In other words is chachera equivalent to "of your chacha" or your chacha/chaachii's male offspring and chacherii the female offspring?
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> marrish said:
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> No, no, yes, yes.
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> Sheikh_14 said:
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> Marrish saahib the first two questions are opposites hence one must be right and the other wrong. The next two are again conflicting and thus cannot both be correct without any clarification.
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> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

No, those questions pertain to different words, the first to _chacheraa/-ii_, the second part of it to _chachaa-zaad/-ii. chacheraa _is not sufficient whilst _chachaa-zaad_ doesn't compulsory require_ bhaa'ii _or_ bahan._

Next two: chacheraa - male progeny, chacherii - female one = yes, yes.


Sheikh_14 said:


> Perfetto! But it would be odd to say Chacherii bhai even though chacherii just means of your chaachii rather than your chaacha/chaachii's female offspring.


Yes, it would be not only odd but absolutely incorrect. The first basic rule of Urdu is that adjective agree with the gender and number of the nouns they qualify! You just can't say **yih merii bhaa'ii **hae* or **yih meraa bahan** hae*, provided you wish to speak correct Urdu on the basic level.

Anticipating, as you would realise a child of your _chachii_ is not a blood relation to you.


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## Sheikh_14

Anticipating, as you would realise a child of your _chachii_ is not a blood relation to you.[/QUOTE]

As long as the child is legal of course there's a blood relation. However, besides that the post was hugely informative. The specificity of Urdu with regards to relatives is rather daunting for someone not weaned on them.


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## Qureshpor

دلیپ کمار والی دیوداس فلم میں آخری سین کا ایک یادگار مکالمہ ہے۔

ارے بھئی یہ راستہ کیا کبھی ختم نہیں ہو گا؟


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## marrish

کیا خوب فرمایا حضور نے! چلیں اس راستے پر آخری مرتبہ ذرا رکتا ہوں۔۔۔ رُک کے یہیں رہ جاتا ہوں۔

Sheikh_14: "chacherii just means of your chaachii rather than your chaacha/chaachii's female offspring."

No, it is not correct, as explained already... both _chacheraa_ bhaa'ii (for male cousin) and _chacherii_ bahan (female cousin) indicate the blood relation to you as they are children of your father's younger brother. 

_chachii_ is _chachaa_'s wife. She is not your blood relation. 

*If chachii has a son or daughter from a different relationship than with your chachaa, no issue of "legality" here!
*
*they will not be called chacheraa/-ii *but _chachii kaa beTaa_/_kii beTii_. The parent of your cousin being your _chachaa_ your cousins are _chachere_.

ch*a*chaa chaachaa ->ch*a*cheraa

If mundiya jii hasn't got any further questions I consider my knowledge on the topic of Urdu "cousin" as exhausted .


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## Sheikh_14

*Whilst you two indulge in shiishe se shiisha takraii joh be hooN anjaam I'd like to add that in Punjab at least only a toddler who can't enunciate properly would say Chachaa instead of  Chaachaa ad nauseum the rest would switch between the two. It is news that the former is correct. From the pattern you have laid out chachere, tai'ire, mamere, phuphere, xalere would most probably be their plural form.*


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