साला
sālā/sɑː.lɑː/
To say brother-in-law in Hindi, meaning your wife's brother, say साला (sālā).
साला is specifically the brother of a man's wife. Hindi uses different words for different brothers-in-law.
Which one should you use?
साला is the wife's brother. Your sister's husband is जीजा (jījā), often called Jiju in a friendly informal way.
How does it change in a sentence?
Before a postposition such as ने or को, साला changes to साले.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful with साला outside the family. It is also used as a mild slang insult or an expression of frustration, close to jerk in English, so it can sound rude in the wrong context.
Did you know?
- The use of साला as an insult carries a hidden, though now obscure, implication that the speaker is having a sexual relationship with the person's sister.
- The term साला can function as a filler word to convey surprise or frustration, acting more like a punctuation mark of emotion than a noun.
- If you use साला (sālā) to address a stranger, you are likely to provoke a heated confrontation. In Indian cinema and street speech, it is a classic way to start a fight.
Examples in context
- मेरे साले ने अपनी बहन को लिखा।My brother-in-law wrote to his sister.Here साले is the form used before the postposition ने.
- मेरा साला बहुत मजाकिया है।merā sālā bahut majākiyā hai.My brother-in-law is very funny.
Example conversation
Amit is talking to his wife Anjali about her brother.
- अमित Amitअंजलि, आपका साला कहाँ है?Anjali, aapka saala kahan hai?Anjali, where is your brother-in-law?
- अंजलि Anjaliवह बाज़ार गया है, अमित।Vah bazaar gaya hai, Amit.He has gone to the market, Amit.
- अमित Amitउसे जल्दी वापस बुलाओ।Use jaldi vaapas bulao.Call him back quickly.
- अंजलि Anjaliठीक है, मैं उसे फोन करती हूँ।Thik hai, main use phone karti hoon.Okay, I will call him.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry साला, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries साला, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
