কাজিন
kajin
The Bengali word for cousin is কাজিন (kajin).
The term কাজিন refers to the child of a person's parent's brother or sister.
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
Which one should you use?
While কাজিন is used in casual speech, traditional Bengali uses specific terms based on which side of the family the cousin is from. For example, a paternal uncle's son is referred to as চাচাতো ভাই.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
কাজিন is a loanword from English and is used colloquially in modern Bengali, especially in urban areas.
How do you pronounce it?
kajin
Did you know?
- In some Bengali dialects, the term for cousin is embedded in a complex system of honorifics that changes based on the relative's seniority in the family hierarchy.
- Traditional kinship terms like চাচাতো ভাই literally translate to 'father's brother's son', encoding the exact genealogical path into the name.
- Using the English-derived কাজিন in a formal traditional setting might actually sound less respectful than using the specific kinship titles.
Examples in context
- আমার কাজিন খুব ভালো ছেলে।amar kajin khub bhalo chele.My cousin is a very good boy.
- তোমার কাজিন কোথায় থাকে?tomar kajin kothay thake?Where does your cousin live?
Example conversation
Moumita and Rahul are looking at a family photo.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaএই ছেলেটি কে?Ei cheleti ke?Who is this boy?
- রাহুল Rahulসে আমার কাজিন, অয়ন।Se amar kajin, Ayon.He is my cousin, Ayon.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaও কি তোমার সাথে থাকে?O ki tomar sathe thake?Does he live with you?
- রাহুল Rahulনা, আমার কাজিন অন্য শহরে থাকে।Na, amar kajin onno shohore thake.No, my cousin lives in another city.
