דּוֹדָן
dodanmasculine
The Hebrew word for cousin is דּוֹדָן (dodan). Wiktionary also lists דּוֹדָנִית (dodanyt) and בן־דוד (ben-dod).
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| דּוֹדָן | dodan | masculine |
| דּוֹדָנִית | dodanyt | feminine |
| בן־דוד | ben-dod | masculine |
| בת־דוד | bat-dod | feminine |
| בן־דודה | ben-doda | masculine |
| בת־דודה | bat-doda | feminine |
In modern spoken Hebrew, the compound forms בן־דוד and בת־דוד are much more common than the single-word forms דּוֹדָן or דּוֹדָנִית.
What does it mean word for word?
The masculine form בן־דוד literally means 'son of an uncle', while the feminine form בת־דוד literally means 'daughter of an uncle'.
Which one should you use?
While דּוֹדָן is a general term for a cousin, בן־דוד specifically identifies the cousin as a male child of an uncle.
How do you pronounce it?
dodan
Did you know?
- The word דּוֹד comes from a root associated with 'beloved'. This is why the Song of Songs in the Bible frequently uses the word to describe a lover rather than a family member.
- While English uses one word for 'cousin', Hebrew often distinguishes whether the cousin is the child of a paternal or maternal relative. By using בן־דוד or בן־דודה, a speaker can specify the gender of the parent involved.
- If a Hebrew speaker wants to say 'first cousin', they don't usually add a number. The standard terms בן־דוד or בת־דוד already imply the closest cousin relationship.
Example sentences for Hebrew are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Rotem and Daniel are looking at a family photo.
- רוטם Rotemמי זה בתמונה?Mi ze batmuna?Who is this in the photo?
- דניאל Danielזה דּוֹדָן שלי, נועם.Ze dodan sheli, Noam.This is my cousin, Noam.
- רוטם Rotemהוא נראה בול כמוך.Hu nir'e bul kamokha.He looks exactly like you.
- דניאל Danielכולם אומרים את זה.Kulam omrim et ze.Everyone says that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cousin” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
