Gujarati Kinship Terms: Maternal and Paternal Relatives
The Gujarati words for relatives, with separate terms for mother's and father's side, in-laws and spouses, and how to talk about your family.
As in many South Asian languages, Gujarati has specific words for each relative, telling you whether they're on the mother's or father's side.
Immediate family
- માતા / મા / મમ્મી — mother
- પિતા / બાપુ / પપ્પા — father
- માતાપિતા — parents
- ભાઈ — brother
- બહેન — sister
- દીકરો — son
- દીકરી — daughter
- બાળક / છોકરું — child
- ભાઈ-બહેન — siblings
- જોડિયા — twins
Father's side
- દાદા — paternal grandfather
- દાદી — paternal grandmother
- કાકા — father's younger brother
- કાકી — his wife
- મોટા બાપા / બાપા — father's elder brother (in many families)
- ફોઈ — father's sister
- ફુવા — her husband
Mother's side
- નાના — maternal grandfather
- નાની — maternal grandmother
- મામા — mother's brother
- મામી — his wife
- માસી — mother's sister
- માસા — her husband
Cousins
Gujarati uses the words ભાઈ and બહેન for cousins, often specifying:
- કાકાનો દીકરો — paternal cousin (father's brother's son)
- મામાની દીકરી — maternal cousin (mother's brother's daughter)
- ફોઈની દીકરી — father's sister's daughter
- માસીનો દીકરો — mother's sister's son
Grandchildren
- પૌત્ર / પૌત્રી — son's son / daughter (paternal grandchildren)
- દોહિત્ર / દોહિત્રી — daughter's son / daughter (maternal grandchildren)
Spouses and in-laws
- પતિ — husband
- પત્ની — wife
- સાસુ — mother-in-law
- સસરા — father-in-law
- વહુ — daughter-in-law, bride
- જમાઈ — son-in-law
- નણંદ — husband's sister
- દિયર — husband's younger brother
- જેઠ — husband's elder brother
- જેઠાણી / દેરાણી — wives of the husband's elder / younger brother (jethani / derani)
- સાળો / સાળી — wife's brother / sister
- બનેવી — sister's husband
Terms of address
Many of these words are used for addressing people:
- મા / બા — mother (બા is a very common respectful term for mother or grandmother in Gujarati households)
- બાપુજી / પિતાજી — father
- દાદા / દાદી / નાના / નાની
- કાકા / કાકી / મામા / માસી
- ભાઈ / બેન
Elders in the family are usually addressed by a term, not by name.
Marriage and family events
- લગ્ન — wedding
- સગાઈ — engagement
- સગાંવહાલાં — relatives
- પરિવાર / કુટુંબ — family
- સંયુક્ત કુટુંબ — joint family
- નામકરણ — naming ceremony
- સીમંત — baby-shower ritual
Talking about your family
- મારા કુટુંબમાં પાંચ લોકો છે. — There are five people in my family.
- મારે એક ભાઈ અને એક બહેન છે. — I have one brother and one sister.
- મારા દાદા-દાદી ગામમાં રહે છે. — My grandparents live in the village.
- મારા પિતા ડૉક્ટર છે. — My father is a doctor.
- હું એકનું એક સંતાન છું. — I'm an only child.
Learning tips
- Draw a family tree and label it in Gujarati.
- Learn the mother's side and father's side separately.
- Practise possessives: મારા કાકા, મારી માસી.
- Learn address terms.
Common beginner errors
- Mixing maternal and paternal terms.
- Forgetting possessive agreement.
- Using first names for elders.
Look up Gujarati family words with English Gujarati Dictionary →
English Gujarati Dictionary
Offline English–Gujarati dictionary with meanings in proper Gujarati script
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