kuzn
The Jamaican word for cousin is kuzn.
kuzn 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)
When do people say it?
In Jamaican Patois, the term Bredda is versatile and can be used to address both brothers and male cousins.
Did you know?
- Because of the influence of African linguistic structures, terms for family members like 'kuzn' often carry more weight in defining communal responsibility than they do in standard English.
- While kuzn is the direct term, in many Jamaican communities, people use the word 'cousin' or 'kuzn' to refer to any close friend or someone from the same neighborhood.
- The spelling kuzn reflects the phonetic nature of Jamaican Patois, where English words are adapted to match the local rhythmic and vowel sounds.
Examples in context
- Mi kuzn a come visit mi.My cousin is coming to visit me.
- Di kuzn dem deh pon di beach.The cousins are at the beach.
- Yuh know seh him a yuh kuzn?Do you know that he is your cousin?
Example conversation
Latoya and Kevon are talking about a family party.
- LatoyaKevon, you remember mi kuzn?Kevon, do you remember my cousin?
- KevonWhich kuzn you talking bout?Which cousin are you talking about?
- LatoyaDi one who live a Kingston.The one who lives in Kingston.
- KevonYeah, mi remember him.Yes, I remember him.
