Table of Contents
Understanding Family Words in Urdu
In this chapter you will learn the most important family words in Urdu. Urdu has very rich vocabulary for family and relatives. In daily life, these words are used all the time when you talk about yourself and other people.
We will focus on the most common and useful terms, and give you simple example sentences.
Important: In Urdu, many family words show:
- Gender (masculine or feminine)
- Relation through father or mother
- Relation by blood or by marriage
Later, in the chapter “Possession using کا، کی، کے”, you will learn how to say “my family,” “your mother,” etc., in full sentences. Here we mostly learn the basic nouns.
Immediate Family
These are the people closest to you in your family.
Parents
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| mother | ماں / امّی | maã / ammi | امّی is more informal, like “mom” |
| father | باپ / ابو | baap / abbu | ابو is more informal, like “dad” |
| parents | والدین | waalidayn | formal word for “parents” |
Examples:
- میری امّی گھر میں ہیں۔
meri ammi ghar mein hain.
“My mom is at home.” - میرے ابو کام پر ہیں۔
mere abbu kaam par hain.
“My dad is at work.” - میرے والدین پاکستان میں ہیں۔
mere waalidayn Pakistan mein hain.
“My parents are in Pakistan.”
Children
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| son | بیٹا | beta | masculine |
| daughter | بیٹی | beti | feminine |
| child (general) | بچہ / بچّہ | bacha | often “boy child” |
| children | بچے | bachay | plural, general |
Examples:
- یہ میرا بیٹا ہے۔
ye mera beta hai.
“This is my son.” - یہ میری بیٹی ہے۔
ye meri beti hai.
“This is my daughter.” - وہ بہت اچھا بچہ ہے۔
woh bohat achha bacha hai.
“He is a very good child.”
Siblings
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| brother (general) | بھائی | bhai | used for older or younger |
| sister (general) | بہن | behn | used for older or younger |
| siblings | بہن بھائی | behn bhai | literally “sister brother” |
Examples:
- وہ میرا بھائی ہے۔
woh mera bhai hai.
“He is my brother.” - وہ میری بہن ہے۔
woh meri behn hai.
“She is my sister.” - میرے تین بہن بھائی ہیں۔
mere teen behn bhai hain.
“I have three siblings.”
Extended Family: Grandparents and Grandchildren
Urdu has different words for grandparents on the mother’s side and the father’s side.
Grandparents
| Relation | English (side) | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) |
|---|---|---|---|
| grandfather | father’s father | دادا | dada |
| grandmother | father’s mother | دادی | dadi |
| grandfather | mother’s father | نانا | nana |
| grandmother | mother’s mother | نانی | nani |
Examples:
- میرے دادا کراچی میں ہیں۔
mere dada Karachi mein hain.
“My grandfather (father’s side) is in Karachi.” - میری دادی بیمار ہیں۔
meri dadi bemaar hain.
“My grandmother (father’s side) is ill.” - میرے نانا لاہور میں رہتے ہیں۔
mere nana Lahore mein rehte hain.
“My grandfather (mother’s side) lives in Lahore.” - میری نانی گھر پر ہیں۔
meri nani ghar par hain.
“My grandmother (mother’s side) is at home.”
Grandchildren
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| grandson | نواسہ / پوتا | nawaasa / pota | maternal vs paternal usage varies, but both mean grandson |
| granddaughter | نواسی / پوتی | nawaasi / poti | maternal vs paternal usage varies, both mean granddaughter |
At beginner level, you can remember simply:
- پوتا / پوتی are often used for grandchildren of grandparents on the father’s side.
- نواسہ / نواسی are often used for grandchildren of grandparents on the mother’s side.
Simple examples:
- یہ میرا پوتا ہے۔
ye mera pota hai.
“This is my grandson.” - یہ میری نواسی ہے۔
ye meri nawaasi hai.
“This is my granddaughter.”
Aunts and Uncles
Urdu is very specific about whether the aunt or uncle is from the mother’s side or the father’s side, and whether they are related by blood or by marriage.
Uncles
| English | Side / Type | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) |
|---|---|---|---|
| father’s brother | uncle | چچا | chacha |
| father’s brother’s wife | aunt (by marriage) | چچی | chachi |
| mother’s brother | uncle | ماموں | maamoo(n) |
| mother’s brother’s wife | aunt (by marriage) | ممانی | mumaanee |
Examples:
- یہ میرے چچا ہیں۔
ye mere chacha hain.
“This is my (paternal) uncle.” - میرے ماموں لندن میں ہیں۔
mere maamoo London mein hain.
“My (maternal) uncle is in London.”
Aunts
| English | Side / Type | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) |
|---|---|---|---|
| father’s sister | aunt | پھوپھی | phuphi |
| father’s sister’s husband | uncle (by marriage) | پھوپھا | phupha |
| mother’s sister | aunt | خالہ | khaala |
| mother’s sister’s husband | uncle (by marriage) | خالو | khaalu |
Examples:
- میری پھوپھی راولپنڈی میں رہتی ہیں۔
meri phuphi Rawalpindi mein rehti hain.
“My (paternal) aunt lives in Rawalpindi.” - یہ میری خالہ ہیں۔
ye meri khaala hain.
“This is my (maternal) aunt.” - میرے خالو بہت مزاحیہ ہیں۔
mere khaalu bohat mazaahiya hain.
“My uncle (aunt’s husband) is very funny.”
Cousins
In daily conversation, many speakers simply use the English word “cousin” with Urdu pronunciation. There are also more precise traditional terms, but for a beginner, you can learn the general pattern.
Common everyday usage:
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) |
|---|---|---|
| cousin (male) | کزن | cousin |
| cousin (female) | کزن | cousin |
Examples:
- وہ میرا کزن ہے۔
woh mera cousin hai.
“He is my cousin.” - وہ میری کزن ہے۔
woh meri cousin hai.
“She is my cousin.”
At more advanced levels, you may see different words for cousins by mother’s or father’s side, but “cousin” is enough for now.
In‑Laws and Marriage Relations
Here are some very common words for family you get through marriage.
Husband and Wife
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) |
|---|---|---|
| husband | شوہر | shohar |
| wife | بیوی | biwi |
Examples:
- وہ میرا شوہر ہے۔
woh mera shohar hai.
“He is my husband.” - وہ میری بیوی ہے۔
woh meri biwi hai.
“She is my wife.”
Parents of Husband or Wife
| Relation | English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) |
|---|---|---|---|
| wife’s / husband’s mother | mother‑in‑law | ساس | saas |
| wife’s / husband’s father | father‑in‑law | سسر | susar |
Examples:
- میری ساس بہت اچھّی ہیں۔
meri saas bohat achhi hain.
“My mother‑in‑law is very nice.” - میرے سسر ڈاکٹر ہیں۔
mere susar doktor hain.
“My father‑in‑law is a doctor.”
Other In‑Law Relations
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| brother‑in‑law | سالا / بہنوئی | saala / behnoi | wife’s brother / sister’s husband |
| sister‑in‑law | سالی / بھابھی | saali / bhaabhi | wife’s sister / brother’s wife |
At beginner level you do not need to memorize all of these, but the words appear often in family conversations.
Simple example:
- یہ میری بھابھی ہیں۔
ye meri bhaabhi hain.
“This is my sister‑in‑law.”
(usually brother’s wife)
Talking Simply About Family
With just a few of these words and the verb “to be” in Urdu, you can already make very simple sentences. For example:
- یہ میرا بھائی ہے۔
ye mera bhai hai.
“This is my brother.” - یہ میری ماں ہے۔
ye meri maã hai.
“This is my mother.” - وہ میرا بیٹا ہے۔
woh mera beta hai.
“He is my son.”
Later chapters will show you how “mera, meri, mere” change with gender and number. For now, focus on recognizing the family nouns themselves.
Useful Mini Dialogues
Short, simple conversations help you see these words in context.
Dialogue 1
A: یہ کون ہے؟
y e kaun hai?
“Who is this?”
B: یہ میری بہن ہے۔
ye meri behn hai.
“This is my sister.”
Dialogue 2
A: کیا آپ کے بچے ہیں؟
kya aap ke bachay hain?
“Do you have children?”
B: جی، ایک بیٹا اور ایک بیٹی۔
jee, aik beta aur aik beti.
“Yes, one son and one daughter.”
Dialogue 3
A: آپ کے نانا کہاں ہیں؟
aap ke nana kahan hain?
“Where is your grandfather (mother’s side)?”
B: وہ اسلام آباد میں ہیں۔
woh Islamabad mein hain.
“He is in Islamabad.”
New Vocabulary from this Chapter
| English | Urdu (script) | Urdu (Roman) |
|---|---|---|
| mother | ماں / امّی | maã / ammi |
| father | باپ / ابو | baap / abbu |
| parents | والدین | waalidayn |
| son | بیٹا | beta |
| daughter | بیٹی | beti |
| child | بچہ / بچّہ | bacha |
| children | بچے | bachay |
| brother | بھائی | bhai |
| sister | بہن | behn |
| siblings | بہن بھائی | behn bhai |
| grandfather (father’s side) | دادا | dada |
| grandmother (father’s side) | دادی | dadi |
| grandfather (mother’s side) | نانا | nana |
| grandmother (mother’s side) | نانی | nani |
| grandson | نواسہ / پوتا | nawaasa / pota |
| granddaughter | نواسی / پوتی | nawaasi / poti |
| uncle (father’s brother) | چچا | chacha |
| aunt (father’s brother’s wife) | چچی | chachi |
| uncle (mother’s brother) | ماموں | maamoo(n) |
| aunt (mother’s brother’s wife) | ممانی | mumaanee |
| aunt (father’s sister) | پھوپھی | phuphi |
| uncle (father’s sister’s husband) | پھوپھا | phupha |
| aunt (mother’s sister) | خالہ | khaala |
| uncle (mother’s sister’s husband) | خالو | khaalu |
| cousin (male / female) | کزن | cousin |
| husband | شوہر | shohar |
| wife | بیوی | biwi |
| mother‑in‑law | ساس | saas |
| father‑in‑law | سسر | susar |
| brother‑in‑law | سالا / بہنوئی | saala / behnoi |
| sister‑in‑law | سالی / بھابھی | saali / bhaabhi |