माउशी
māuśīfeminine
In Marathi, the English word 'aunt' is expressed through several different terms depending on the specific family relationship. माउशी (māuśī). Wiktionary also lists मामी (māmī) and आत्या (ātyā).
Meaning: a parent's sister or sister-in-law (noun)
Ways to say it
| Marathi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| माउशी | māuśī | feminine | |
| मामी | māmī | /ma.mi/ | feminine |
| आत्या | ātyā | feminine | |
| काकी | kākī | feminine |
In Marathi, you must use the specific kinship term based on the exact relation rather than a single generic word for 'aunt'.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on which side of the family the aunt belongs to: आत्या is used specifically for a father's sister. काकी refers to the wife of a father's brother. मामी refers to the wife of a mother's brother.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
māuśī
Did you know?
- The term आत्या has its roots in Proto-Dravidian, making it an ancient linguistic relative to many South Indian languages. This distinguishes it from the Sanskrit-derived terms often found in other Indian languages.
- In many Marathi households, calling an older woman by her name is considered extremely rude. Even if she is not your 'aunt', you would likely use a term like काकी or माउशी as a respectful way to address her.
- The term माउशी is closely related to the word for 'mother' in several Indian languages, reflecting the cultural view of a mother's sister as a second mother.
Examples in context
- मी टॉमची काकी आहे.I'm Tom's aunt.This sentence shows how to identify oneself as an aunt using काकी.Tatoeba #5853307 by sabretou, translation #5853304 by CK
- मला माझी मामी खूप आवडते.I like my aunt a lot.This sentence demonstrates expressing affection for a मामी.Tatoeba #13387041 by sabretou, translation #7983210 by trochal
- ती तिच्या काकीसारखी दिसते.She looks like her aunt.This sentence uses काकी to describe a physical resemblance.Tatoeba #2578396 by sabretou, translation #1173368 by etoile
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Priya and Amit are talking about their family members.
- प्रिया Priyaती माझी माउशी आहे.tī mājhī māushī āhe.She is my aunt.
- अमित Amitतुमची माउशी कुठे राहते?tumchī māushī kuṭhe rāhate?Where does your aunt live?
- प्रिया Priyaमाझी माउशी पुण्यात राहते.mājhī māushī puṇyāt rāhate.My aunt lives in Pune.
- अमित Amitती खूप छान आहे.tī khūp chhān āhe.She is very nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations and entries मामी, आत्या, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries आत्या, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
