deartháir
/dʲɾʲəˈhaːɾˠ/ ~ /dʲeɾʲəˈhaːɾˠ/masculine
The Irish word for brother is deartháir.
deartháir is a masculine noun used to refer to a male sibling.
Meaning: male sibling (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Connacht and Munster regions, you may use A bhráthair to address a brother informally.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of deartháir is deartháireacha.
How do you pronounce it?
/dʲɾʲəˈhaːɾˠ/ ~ /dʲeɾʲəˈhaːɾˠ/
Did you know?
- The word deartháir contains an ancient legal distinction, as it is built from the Old Irish word derb meaning 'certain' or 'true'.
- In traditional Irish kinship terms, the distinction between a 'full' brother and a 'half' brother was historically marked by different word choices.
Examples in context
- An bhfuil deartháir agat?Do you have a brother?
Example conversation
Siobhán and Oisín are talking about their families.
- OisínAn bhfuil deartháir agat, Siobhán?Do you have a brother, Siobhán?
- SiobhánTá deartháir níos lú agam.I have a younger brother.
- OisínAn bhfuil sé anseo?Is he here?
- SiobhánNíl sé anseo anois.He is not here now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brother” translations and entries deartháir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries deartháir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
