kayınbirader
/kajɯnbiɾadeɾ/from spelling rules
The Turkish phrase for brother-in-law is kayınbirader.
kayınbirader is used specifically to refer to the brother of one's spouse.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of kayın (related to in-laws) and birader (brother).
Which one should you use?
While kayınbirader specifically refers to the brother of one's spouse, the term enişte is used for a sister's husband.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say my brother-in-law, you add the possessive suffix -im to the end of the word to form kayınbiraderim. To make the word plural, add the suffix -ler to the end to form kayınbiraderler.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /kajɯnbiɾadeɾ/. It is composed of the sounds: /k/ as in [c]ore, /j/ as in [y]es, /ɯ/ somewhat like ribb[o]n, /n/ as in [n]ot, /b/ as in a[b]out, /i/ as in cr[ee]k and /ɾ/ as in AmE a[t]om.
Did you know?
- The word birader in kayınbirader is borrowed from Persian. In casual modern Turkish, birader is often used as a slang term meaning 'dude' or 'bro' among friends regardless of kinship.
- In traditional Turkish culture, a kayınbirader might be addressed using the respectful title abi (older brother) instead of his name to show familial respect.
- Because Turkish is an agglutinative language, you can add multiple suffixes to kayınbirader to mean 'my brothers-in-law's children' in a single long word.
Examples in context
- Kayınbiraderim yarın bize gelecek.My brother-in-law is coming to visit us tomorrow.
- Kayınbiraderin ne zaman İstanbul'a taşındı?When did your brother-in-law move to Istanbul?
- Eşim, kayınbiraderimle çok iyi anlaşıyor.My spouse gets along very well with my brother-in-law.
Example conversation
Zeynep is telling Can about her family plans.
- CanHafta sonu kimlerle buluşacaksın?Who are you meeting with this weekend?
- ZeynepKayınbiraderim ve eşiyle yemeğe çıkacağız.I will go out to dinner with my brother-in-law and his wife.
- CanOnlar da şehirde mi yaşıyor?Do they live in the city too?
- ZeynepEvet, yakınlarda oturuyorlar.Yes, they live nearby.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry kayınbirader, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
