# uncle, aunt, cousin



## darush

How many are in your language?
there are two kinds of uncle and aunt in Persian. amoo: brother of father and dayi: brother of mother, khale: sister of mother, amme: sister of father
considering gender and two different uncles/aunts, there are eight different cousins:

1. pesar amoo(son of amoo), 2. dokhtar amoo(daughter of amoo), 3. pesar dayi, 4. dokhtar dayi,...


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## DearPrudence

In *French*, this is pretty simple:
*an uncle: un oncle *(no difference if it's you're father's brother, your mother's brother or even your aunt's husband)
*an aunt: une tante*
*a cousin: un cousin (germain)* (nm, for males), *une cousine (germaine)* (nf, for females)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*Uncle*: «Θείος» /'θios/ (masculine); from the Classical «θεῖος» ('tʰeiŏs)--> _one's father's/mother's brother, uncle_. Cognate with the Classical feminine noun «τήθη» ('tētʰē)--> _grandmother_; PIE base *dʰē-, _relative, older member of family_ (cf. Latin _thīus_, OS _дѣдъ/dědŭ_, Lith. _dėdė_).
*Aunt*: «Θεία» /'θia/ (feminine); the Hellenistic/Koine feminine version of «θείος». In the Classical language, aunt was described with the feminine noun «τηθίς» (tē'tʰīs), PIE base *dʰē-. 
*Cousin*: «Εξάδελφος» /e'ksaðelfos/ (masculine), «εξαδέλφη» /eksa'ðelfi/ (feminine). Colloquially, «ξάδελφος» /'ksaðelfos/, «ξαδέλφη» /ksa'ðelfi/. In the Classical language, «ἐξάδελφος» (ĕ'ksădĕlpʰŏs, _m.& f._) meant nephew. Compound, preposition and prefix «ἐκ» (ĕκ) which becomes «ἐξ» (ĕκs) when the next word begins with a vowel--> _out of, from, forth from_ (PIE base *eghs-, _out_) + noun and adj. «ἀδελφός, -φή, -φὸν» (ădĕl'pʰŏs, _m._/ădĕl'pʰē, _f._/ădĕl'pʰŏn, _n._)--> init. _son of the same mother*[1]* (masculine noun)_ later, _brother in general_, adj. _sisterly (feminine)_ later as a noun _sister (fem.)_, adj. _brotherly (neuter)_. 

*[1]*From the Ionian feminine noun «δελφύς» (dĕl'pʰūs), Doric «δελφύᾱ» (dĕl'pʰūā)--> _womb_, cognate with _dolpin, Delphi (the oracle on Mount Parnassus)_, PIE base *gelebʰ-/*geleb-/*glēbʰ-/*glēb-, _to mass together, conglomerate, form_. «Ἀδελφός» was in the pre-Classical language the _son who opened the same womb_. The son of the same father was either «φράτηρ» ('pʰrātēr), from PIE base *bhréH₂ter-, _brother_, or «κασίγνητος» (kă'sĭgnētŏs); compound, masculine noun «κάσις» ('kāsīs)--> _brother_ (with obsure etymology) + neuter noun «γένος» ('gĕnŏs)--> _race, stock, kind_ (PIE base *gen-, _to produce, beget, be born_).


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## ThomasK

Dutch: 
- *oom *(in Flanders nonkel, comparable to English 'uncle')
- *tante *('aunt')
- *neef /**nicht(je), *cousin m/f... (both cousin and nephew)


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## snoopymanatee

_*In Turkish*_:

*uncle:*

1. _*amca*_ --> _brother of father_

2. _*dayı*_ --> _brother of mother_

*aunt:*

1. _*hala*_ --> _sister of father_

2. _*teyze*_ --> _sister of mother_

*cousin:*

1. _*kuzen*_ --> _son of uncle/aunt_ (this is used for both genders in daily life)

2. _*kuzin*_ --> _daughter of uncle/aunt _(this is not used in daily life)

I wonder what are those eight different cousins in your language?


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## Jabir

Portuguese

Tio -> Male Uncle
Tia -> Female Uncle
Primo -> Male Cousin
Prima -> Female Cousin


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## tFighterPilot

Dod - uncle.
Doda - aunt.
Ben dod - male cousin.
Bat dod - female cousin. Often mistakenly replaced with Bat doda.
Ben doda - technically a word, but it's never used.


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## darush

snoopymanatee said:


> I wonder what are those eight different cousins in your language?


4(U/A)×2(genders)= 8 cousins
in Azari(Azeri) there are also 8 cousins: dayi gizi/oghli, khala gizi/oghli,....


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## snoopymanatee

darush said:


> 4(U/A)×2(genders)= 8 cousins
> in Azari(Azeri) there are also 8 cousins: dayi gizi/oghli, kahl oghli,....



Oh, if we think that way, Turkish looks like Azeri. (or Azeri looks like Turkish) 

1. *amca oğlu* --> _son of uncle_

2. *amca kızı* --> _daughter of uncle_

3. *hala oğlu* --> _son of aunt_

4. *hala kızı* --> _daughter of aunt_

5. *dayı oğlu* --> _son of uncle_

6. *dayı kızı* --> _daughter of uncle_

7. *teyze oğlu* --> _son of aunt_

8. *teyze kızı* --> _daughter of aunt_


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## arielipi

tfighter - you should have explained...
bat - is daughter of
ben is son of
dod and doda are brother and sister of father/mother respectively[doesnt matter which side]
we can have ben/bat doda/dod
also  we have second ben dod etc which means he is close to me with second degree.
more interesting is that you actually have a word for the grandchild of the grandchild of the grandfather


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## terredepomme

There is a lot in Korean.
For example a married younger brother of father is 작은아버지.
An older brother of father is 큰아버지.
A single brother of father is 삼촌.
A sister of father is 고모.
A sister of mother is 이모.(큰이모 for older sisters and 작은이모 for younger sisters)
And so on.
Also there are different ways how these people should call each other correctly.
We NEVER call people just by their names.
There is like a chart of words that you have to memorize to call your relatives correctly.


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish:*_
_Kusin_ - cousin

_Farbror_ - father's brother or husband of father's sister
_Faster_ - father's sister or wife of father's brother

_Morbror_ - mother's brother or husband of mother's sister
_Moster_ - mother's sister or wife of mother's brother

_Brorson_ - brother's son
_Brorsdotter_ - brother's daughter

_Systerson_ - sister's son
_Systerdotter_ - sister's daughter

_Farfar_ - father's father
_Farmor _- father's mother

_Morfar_ - mother's father
_Mormor_ - mother's mother


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## darush

AutumnOwl said:


> _*Swedish:*_
> _Kusin_ - cousin
> 
> _Farbror_ - father's brother or husband of father's sister
> _Faster_ - father's sister or wife of father's brother
> 
> _Morbror_ - mother's brother or husband of mother's sister
> _Moster_ - mother's sister or wife of mother's brother
> 
> _Brorson_ - brother's son
> _Brorsdotter_ - brother's daughter
> 
> _Systerson_ - sister's son
> _Systerdotter_ - sister's daughter
> 
> _Farfar_ - father's father
> _Farmor _- father's mother
> 
> _Morfar_ - mother's father
> _Mormor_ - mother's mother


too nice! you have two kinds of grandmother/grand father, we have only one. Mormor and Farmor is: madar bozorg,   Morfar and Farfar is: pedar bozorg
Systerson/dotter: khaharzade,  Brorson/dotter: baradarzade


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## AutumnOwl

You can also use the word _syskonbarn_ - sibling(s) children when talking about all of the below, whether its just one or several of them:
_
Brorson_ - brother's son
_Brorsdotter_ - brother's daughter
_Systerson_ - sister's son
_Systerdotter_ - sister's daughter


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## jana.bo99

Croatian:

BAKA (BABA) - mother's or father's mother
DJED - mother's or father's father
PRABAKA i PRADJED - parents from both parents

STRIC I STRINA - Father's brother and his wife
TETA (TETKA) I TETAK - mother's or father's sister and her husband
UJAK I UJNA - mother's brother and his wife
STRIČEVIĆI - sons from two brothers
STRIČEVINE - daughters from two sisters
SESTRIĆI - Sons from two sisters
SESTRIČNE - daughters from two sisters
BRATIĆ - brother's son
BRATIČNA - brother's daughter
SESTRIĆ - sister's son
SESTRIČNA - sister's daughter
SINOVAC - brother's son
SINOVKA - brother's daughter

ZAOVA - husband's sister
DJEVER - husband’s brother
SVASTIKA - wife's sister
ŠURJAK - wife's brother
SVAK - sister's husband
ZAOVAC - husband from husband's sister
NEVJESTA - son's or brother's wife

SNAHA - son's wife
ZET - daughter’s husband

PUNAC (TAST) i PUNICA -   wife's parents
SVEKAR I SVEKRVA - husband's parents


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## Anja.Ann

Hello, Darush 

In Italian:

- uncle: "zio" (masculine 

- aunt: "zia" (feminine)

- cousin:
  * "cugino" (masculine) 
  * "cugina" (feminine)


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## Moro12

In Russian:

uncle (father’s brother or mother’s brother) – дядя (DYAH-dyuh), IPA: [ˈd̻jæ.d̻jə], or дядька (DYAH-t’kuh), IPA: [ˈd̻jæ.t̻jkə] (the former version is neutral; the latter one mostly used as a pejorative form in the modern language);

aunt (father’s sister or mother’s sister) – тётя (TYOH-tyuh), IPA: [ˈt̻ʲɵ̞.t̻ʲə], or тётка (TYOH-tkuh), IPA: [ˈt̻ʲɵ̞.t̪kə] (the former version is neutral but colloquial; the latter one is used in official documents, however in colloquial speech it is used as a pejorative form).

Note 1. Both дядя and тётя have a second meaning in Russian: they are also used to refer to adult strangers (дядя for a man and тётя for a woman), mostly (but not only) by children. For example, children often address their parents’ friends as дядя + name or тётя + name.

Note 2. Like other Slavic languages, Russian has multiple hypocoristic or endearment forms: дядя – дядюшка (DYAH-dyoo-shkuh), дядечка (DYAH-dyee-chkuh), дяденька (DYAH-dyee-n’kuh); тётя – тётушка (TYOH-too-shkuh), тётечка (TYOH-tyee-chkuh), тётенька (TYOH-tyee-n’kuh), each of them having its own nuances of usage.

cousin (uncle’s son or aunt’s son) – двоюродный брат (dvah-YOO-rud-nuy BRAHT), IPA: [d̪vɐ.ˈju.rəd̪.n̪ᵻɪ̯.brat̪] (lit.: “second-kin brother”);

cousin (uncle’s daughter or aunt’s daughter) – двоюродная сестра (dvah-YOO-rud-nuh-yuh syee-STRAH), IPA: [d̪vɐ.ˈju.rəd̪.n̪ə.jə.s̪jɪ.ˈs̪t̪ra] (lit.: “second-kin sister”).


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## Nizo

In Esperanto, it's very easy:

uncle/aunt *onklo / onklino*
cousin (m/f) *kuzo / kuzino*​


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## ahmedcowon

1 year has passed 

*In Arabic:*

Father's brother = عم amm
Father's sister = عمة amma

Mother's brother = خال khaal
Mother's sister = خالة khaala

For "cousin", we also have 8 different cousins:
son of = ابن ibn (example: son of mother's sister = ابن خالة ibn khaala)
daughter of = بنت bent (example: daughter of father's brother = بنت عم bent 3amm)


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## Johnny Milutinović

Well, this is one thing where Serbian language is very rich, family relations (similar like in Croatian):
*uncle*: 1. *ујак*, (or *уја *informally) (this is your maternal uncle); 2. *теча *(this is your paternal aunt's husband); 3. *стриц *(this is your father's brother)
*aunt*: 1. *тетка *(this can be a father's sister or a mother's sister); 2. *ујна *(this is your maternal uncle's wife); 3. *стрина *(this is your paternal uncle's wife) 
*cousin*. Here, we need context if we we're aiming for translation accuracy. The umbrella term is *рођак* (*рођака*, f.). However, if we are talking about our first cousins, we normally say *брат/сестра од тетке/стрица/ујака*. Literally, we call our cousins "*brothers*" and "*sisters*". To differentiate them from our siblings, we need to add explanation, so, literally, we say "*brother/sister* *from my aunt's/uncle's side*", depending on how related we are with this person (through our paternal/maternal aunt or paternal/maternal uncle). This is a rather clumsy translation into English, and it really makes no sense, I know, but it is how we call our relations!


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## itreius

Johnny Milutinović said:


> *cousin*. Here, we need context if we we're aiming for translation accuracy. The umbrella term is *рођак* (*рођака*, f.). However, if we are talking about our first cousins, we normally say *брат/сестра од тетке/стрица/ујака*. Literally, we call our cousins "*brothers*" and "*sisters*". To differentiate them from our siblings, we need to add explanation, so, literally, we say "*brother/sister* *from my aunt's/uncle's side*", depending on how related we are with this person (through our paternal/maternal aunt or paternal/maternal uncle). This is a rather clumsy translation into English, and it really makes no sense, I know, but it is how we call our relations!



Are the words *bratić *and *sestrična *not used in Serbia?


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## Johnny Milutinović

Well, we have *братанац *(a nephew, my brother's son) and *сестричина *(a niece, my sister's daughter), if that is what you meant. To be honest, I am not sure what *bratić *and *sestrična *refet to.


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## itreius

_Bratić_ is a male cousin, _sestrična_ is a female cousin.


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## Johnny Milutinović

OK, now I understand. No, we don't use those words. To the best of my knowledge at least.


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## DreamerX

I was wondering how the words _aunt_ and _uncle_ were used in your language, and there are many dimensions that I would like to explore in this regard.

1/ First of all, does your language have one or more words for _aunt_ and _uncle_? In theory, _aunt_ can denote a mother’s sister, a father’s sister, the wife of a father’s brother, or the wife of a mother’s brother. Ditto for _uncle_. I know that some languages only have one word to cover all of these meanings, whereas others have a separate word for each. As well, some languages might be “selective” in what type of aunt or uncle should be accorded a separate word (e.g., there is a separate name for a mother’s sister and a father’s sister, but only one word denoting the wife of a spouse’s brother, whether said spouse is a man or a woman), and some might have a separate word for each of them _as well as_ a universal word for all of them.

2/ Second of all, we have the pet name _Auntie_, although _Uncle_ doesn’t seem to have an equivalent. I was wondering if your language also had more “endearing” forms of the words _aunt_ and _uncle_ and whether they applied to one or both of them. If there is more than one form, I would appreciate a full list.

3/ In North America, children can sometimes refer to friends of family members as Aunt or Uncle + first name (e.g., Aunt Melinda, Uncle Kenneth). This is not universal, but it is not that uncommon. In some cultures, this practice is simply unheard of, whereas in others, it is even more extensive.

4/ I’ve heard that elsewhere in the world, children even referred to adult strangers as _aunt_ and _uncle_, without the given names. That is, _aunt_ and _uncle_ stand in for _man_ and _woman_ in children’s active vocabulary. For example, “that man over there carrying a briefcase” would be “that uncle over there carrying a briefcase.” In North America, this is simply never done. We only say _man_ and _woman_ when talking about total strangers. In French, a parent might say to her child “Tu vois ce monsieur là-bas?” Literally, this means “Do you see that mister/sir over there?” Of course, a child would still use _homme_ (man), but _monsieur_ (“Mr.”) and _madame_ (“Mrs.”) as generic nouns rather than honorifics are commonly used to refer to strangers, although mostly by adults. However, _oncle_ (uncle) and _tante_ (aunt) are never used for people who are not relatives (I’m still not sure about close family friends). What is the case in your mother tongue?

Thanks in advance for your replies!


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## Radioh

Hi dreamerx. First, I want to tell you that how to address properly and correctly an aunt or an uncle in a family in my country is extremely complicated.
1/ We have many kinds of aunt and uncle and there is a seperate word for each kind of them. For example :
Mother's brother = cậu
Father's younger brother = chú
Father's older brother = bác and even aunt's husband = dượng...
2/ Endearing name ? We don't have a pet name related to aunt or uncle (if this is what you mean).
3/ Yes, always Aunt/Uncle + first name. It shows respect and it is what we say.
4/ Calling or referring to a stranger as aunt/uncle (if they seem much older than you or you want to be polite) is common.
In essence, we rarely call someone without a title name (except friends).


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish:*_
1:
_Moster_ - mother's sister or sister-in-law
_Morbror_ - mother's brother or brother-in-law
_Faster_ - father's sister or sister-in-law
_Farbror _- father's brother or brother-in-law
Moster/faster are short for mors syster/fars syster
But when addressing the person today most children would use their given name, not aunt/uncle.

2. No for relatives, but about woman not related to you it's _tant_, not_ moster/faster_, a man is _farbror_, never _morbror_.

3. When I was young (about 50 years ago) I called my parents friends for _tant x_ and _farbror y, _it's perhaps still done when talking about very young children, but the practice for children to call adults _tant/farbror_ has more or less disappeared during the 1970ies and later on. I would be very surprised if my friends children called me _tant _(and make me feel very old). Today children use the person's first name, be it relatives or other adults.

4. When I was a child (see above) strangers were called _tant_ and _farbror_, it can sometimes still be heard when parents talk with very young children (under five or so) but with older children it's _mannen/kvinnan_ or _killen/tjejen_ (guy/gal) if talking about a younger person.


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## arielipi

Hebrew
1. one word for all aunts and one for all uncles, דוד dod דודה doda uncle aunt respectively. as with anything in hebrew, the cousin would be either a male or a female, and its translation is son/daughter-of-aunt/uncle. we are supposed to say the person's blood relativity, e.g. if the uncle is blood-tied (brother of mom/dad) we are supposed to say בן\בת דוד ben/bat dod. if the aunt is blood-tied then בן\בת דודה ben bat doda.

2. no
3. in israel we teach young kids uncle + name, but later they use the name. (this is true to all relatives except mom/dad and grandparents).
4. to nice strangers e.g. a nice store-seller who sells candies we could say say thanks to the uncle. its a bit outdated nowadays though.


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## Gavril

Old English:

_fæðera _"paternal uncle"

_eam_ "maternal uncle"

_faðu_ "paternal aunt"

_moddrige_ "maternal aunt"



No idea about questions 2-4 in this case. 


EDIT -- since this thread has been merged with a thread about "cousin" terms, I'll add some more info:

_broþor _"parallel cousin" (i.e. child of one's paternal uncle or maternal aunt)
_swor / sweor_ "cross cousin" (i.e. child of one's paternal aunt or maternal uncle)

_broþor_ was also the OE word for "brother", and _sweor_ could also mean "father-in-law". As far as I currently know, Old English did not have an unambiguous word for "cousin" as we now think of it.


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## DearPrudence

1) It's pretty straightforward in *French*:
*aunt: tante*
*uncle: oncle*

2) Endearing forms:
*aunt: tata *(note that "tante" and "tata" are also used colloquially to refer to me a male homosexual)
*uncle: tonton*

3) It is not usual to call "tonton/tata" someone who is just a friend.
Personally, I don't even call my own uncles and aunts "oncle/tonton" or "tante/aunt" (I just use their first names).

4) As you said, kids would use "monsieur/madame" (sir/madam) to refer to a "man/woman".


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## Rallino

*Turkish:

*
*amca*: father's brother
*dayı*: mother's brother
*hala*: father's sister
*teyze*: mother's sister

*enişte*: the husband of mother's/father's sister
*yenge*: the wife of mother's/father's brother


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## fdb

Radioh said:


> always Aunt/Uncle + first name. It shows respect and it is what we say.



I think you mean the given name (which in Vietnamese comes last), not the "first" (family) name. Is that right?


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## Radioh

Oh yes, fdb, given name. I always mix these things up.


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## AutumnOwl

Gavril said:


> and _sweor_ could also mean "father-in-law".


In Swedish svär-, svå- is used for the in-laws:
_svärfar_ - father-in-law
_svärmor_ - mother-in-law
_svärföräldrar_ - parents-in-law
_svägerska_ - sister-in-law
_svåger_ - brother-in-law


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## fdb

Radioh said:


> Oh yes, fdb, given name. I always mix these things up.



Thank you for the confirmation! On the other hand, you do say Bác Hồ, don't you?


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## Dymn

In *Catalan:

*Uncle: oncle
Aunt: tia
Cousin: cosí (m), cosina (f)


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## Radioh

fdb said:


> Thank you for the confirmation! On the other hand, you do say Bác Hồ, don't you?



You're very welcome, fdb. Yes, we say Bác Hồ. This is one exception that "Uncle + first name" is used. Don't really know why not Bác Minh; maybe Bác Minh sounds less respect and informal(It does to me, indeed.)
ps: I can see that you know much about Vietnam, don't you, fdb ?


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## Glamour21

In Filipino:

Tita (Auntie)
Tito (Uncle)
Tatay (Father)
Nanay (Mother)
Ate (Older Sister)
Kuya (Older Brother)
Pinsan (Cousin)


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