ძმა
ʒma[d͡zmä]
The Georgian word for brother is ძმა (ʒma).
ძმა refers to a male sibling. In casual speech, ძმაო (brother) is often used as a friendly or emphatic way to address a male peer, similar to 'dude' or 'bro' in English.
Meaning: male sibling (noun)
Which one should you use?
While ძმა is the standard term, the form ძმაო is used specifically for addressing someone directly in a colloquial manner.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on its role in a sentence. Use the dative form ძმას when the brother is the indirect object of a verb, such as when you are giving something to him. Use the genitive form ძმის to indicate possession, meaning "of the brother" or "brother's".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ʒma.
Did you know?
- In Georgian poetry, the concept of brotherhood through the word ძმა is often used metaphorically to describe the connection between the land and its people.
- While ძმაო is used like 'bro', using it with a stranger in a street setting might be seen as overly assertive or even aggressive depending on your tone.
- The Georgian word ძმა descends from the Proto-Kartvelian root *ʒ₁am-, a linguistic ancestor shared by the minority languages of the Caucasus region.
Examples in context
- მე ერთი ძმა მყავს.I have one brother.This sentence shows the use of ძმა to indicate having a brother.Tatoeba #2923184 by teto, translation #256071 by CK
- მადლობელი ვარ, ჩემო ძმაო!Thank you, brother.This sentence shows the use of ძმაო as a way to address a brother.Tatoeba #8466726 by Natalie_71, translation #6584912 by AlanF_US
- შეგიძლია ჩემს ძმას ფული ასესხო?Could you loan money to my brother?This sentence shows the use of ძმას as an indirect object.Tatoeba #13945213 by teto, translation #1691313 by rkqb
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giorgi and Ketevan are talking about their families.
- გიორგი Giorgiშენი ძმა სად სწავლობს?sheni dzma sad stsavlobs?Where does your brother study?
- ქეთევან Ketevanის თბილისის უნივერსიტეტშია.is tbilisis universitetsia.He is at Tbilisi University.
- გიორგი Giorgiძალიან კარგია.dzalian kargia.That is very good.
- ქეთევან Ketevanგმადლობ, გიორგი.gmadlob, giorgi.Thanks, Giorgi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brother” translations and entries ძმა, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ძმა, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
