بڑا بھائی
bara bhai/bə.ɽɑː bʱɑː.iː/word by word
The English phrase "big brother" is translated into Urdu as بڑا بھائی (bara bhai).
The phrase refers to a male sibling who is older than another person. While بڑا بھائی is the standard way to express this, you may also hear the word بھائی used on its own. Although بھائی literally means "brother", it is frequently used as a respectful way to address any male sibling or even a close male friend.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of بڑا, which means "big" or "elder" and بھائی, which means "brother".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is bara bhai. The IPA is /bə.ɽɑː bʱɑː.iː/.
Did you know?
- In some social contexts, بھائی can be used to refer to a local gang leader or a 'strongman' who provides protection to the neighborhood.
- In Urdu culture, it is often considered disrespectful to address a بڑا بھائی by his first name. Instead, the speaker will use the title بڑا بھائی or a respectful honorific to acknowledge the age difference.
- The word بھائی is closely related to the English word 'brother', as both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root *bʰréh₂tēr.
Examples in context
- میرا بڑا بھائی بہت ذہین ہے۔mera bara bhai bohat zaheen hai.My big brother is very intelligent.
- وہ میرا بڑا بھائی ہے۔woh mera bara bhai hai.He is my big brother.
Example conversation
Fatima is asking Ahmed about his family.
- فاطمہ Fatimaکیا آپ کا کوئی بڑا بھائی ہے؟Kya aap ka koi bada bhai hai?Do you have a big brother?
- احمد Ahmedجی ہاں، میرا ایک بڑا بھائی ہے۔Ji haan, mera ek bada bhai hai.Yes, I have one big brother.
- فاطمہ Fatimaوہ کیا کام کرتا ہے؟Woh kya kaam karta hai?What work does he do?
- احمد Ahmedوہ ایک انجینئر ہے۔Woh ek engineer hai.He is an engineer.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (بڑا, بھائی) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries بڑا, بھائی, CC BY-SA 4.0.
