चचेरा भाई
cacerā bhāī/t͡ʃə.t͡ʃeː.ɾɑː bʱɑː.iː/masculine
In Hindi, the word for cousin is चचेरा भाई (cacerā bhāī). Wiktionary also lists चचेरी बहन (cacerī bahan) and फुफेरा भाई (phupherā bhāī).
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| चचेरा भाई | cacerā bhāī | /t͡ʃə.t͡ʃeː.ɾɑː bʱɑː.iː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| चचेरी बहन | cacerī bahan | /t͡ʃə.t͡ʃeː.ɾiː bə.ɦən/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| फुफेरा भाई | phupherā bhāī | /pʰʊ.pʰeː.ɾɑː bʱɑː.iː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| फुफेरी बहन | phupherī bahan | /pʰʊ.pʰeː.ɾiː bə.ɦən/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| ममेरा भाई | mamerā bhāī | /mə.meː.ɾɑː bʱɑː.iː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| ममेरी बहन | mamerī bahan | /mə.meː.ɾiː bə.ɦən/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| मौसेरा भाई | mauserā bhāī | /mɔː.seː.ɾɑː bʱɑː.iː/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| मौसेरी बहन | mauserī bahan | /mɔː.seː.ɾiː bə.ɦən/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
Hindi uses different words for cousins depending on which side of the family they are on, whereas English uses the single word 'cousin'.
Which one should you use?
चचेरा भाई and चचेरी बहन refer to paternal cousins (children of your father's brother). ममेरा भाई and ममेरी बहन are maternal cousins from your mother's brother's side.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of North India, cousins are referred to as Bhaiya (भैया)/Didi (दीदी).
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify a male cousin, the adjective ends in '-ā' and the noun भाई (brother) is used. To specify a female cousin, the adjective ending changes from '-ā' to '-ī' and the noun भाई (brother) is replaced by बहन (sister).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is cacerā bhāī.
Did you know?
- The English word 'brother' shares a distant common ancestor with the Hindi word भाई (bhāī), a link that traces back thousands of years to a single Proto-Indo-European root.
- While Hindi has specific terms like चचेरा भाई for cousins, it is very common for people to simply use भाई or बहन to address them as if they were full siblings.
Examples in context
- वह मेरा चचेरा भाई नहीं है।He isn't my cousin.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of चचेरा भाई in a negative statement.Tatoeba #463380 by minshirui, translation #297738 by CK
- मेरा चचेरा भाई बहुत बुद्धिमान है।merā chacerā bhāī bahut buddhimān hai.My cousin is very intelligent.
- क्या वह तुम्हारा चचेरा भाई है?kyā vah tumhārā chacerā bhāī hai?Is he your cousin?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Amit and Neha are looking at an old photograph.
- अमित Amitयह फोटो किसका है?yah phoṭo kiskā hai?Whose photo is this?
- नेहा Nehaयह मेरा चचेरा भाई है।yah merā chacerā bhāī hai.This is my cousin.
- अमित Amitवह बहुत छोटा लग रहा है।vah bahut choṭā lag rahā hai.He looks very young.
- नेहा Nehaहाँ, वह बचपन में ऐसा ही था।hā̃, vah bachpan mẽ aisā hī thā.Yes, he was just like that in childhood.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cousin” translations and entries चचेरा भाई, चचेरी बहन, फुफेरा भाई, फुफेरी बहन, ममेरा भाई, ममेरी बहन, मौसेरा भाई, मौसेरी बहन, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries चचेरा, चचेरा भाई, चचेरी, चचेरी बहन, फुफेरा, फुफेरा भाई, बहन, भाई, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
