двою́родный брат
dvojúrodnyj bratmasculine
In Russian, 'cousin' is expressed through different forms depending on the gender of the person. The default form is двою́родный брат (dvojúrodnyj brat). Wiktionary also lists двою́родная сестра́ (dvojúrodnaja sestrá) and кузе́н (kuzén).
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| двою́родный брат | dvojúrodnyj brat | masculine |
| двою́родная сестра́ | dvojúrodnaja sestrá | feminine |
| кузе́н | kuzén | masculine |
| кузи́на | kuzína | feminine |
The term refers to the child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, which uses the gender-neutral 'cousin', Russian requires you to specify the gender of the cousin using двою́родный брат (brother) or двою́родная сестра́ (sister).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The terms кузе́н and кузи́на are loanwords from French and are used in more casual or modern contexts, whereas двою́родный брат/двою́родная сестра́ is the standard descriptive term.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a group of cousins, you must use the plural forms of the adjectives and the nouns: двою́родные бра́тья for a group of male cousins or mixed gender and двою́родные сёстры for a group of female cousins.
How do you pronounce it?
dvojúrodnyj brat
Did you know?
- The Russian system for cousins is mathematically precise, as двою́родный means 'second-order' and 'third cousins' are called трою́родные, meaning 'third-order'.
- Using the French-derived кузе́н can sometimes sound slightly aristocratic or old-fashioned, evoking the influence of French culture on the Russian nobility of the 18th and 19th centuries.
- While English uses 'cousin' for any relative of that degree, Russian extends the logic of двою́родный to other relatives, such as двою́родный дядя for a first cousin once removed who is an uncle.
Examples in context
- Мой двою́родный брат живёт в Москве.Moy dvoyurodnyy brat zhivyot v Moskve.My cousin lives in Moscow.
- Этот мальчик мой двою́родный брат.Etot mal'chik moy dvoyurodnyy brat.This boy is my cousin.
- Твой двою́родный брат очень вежливый.Tvoy dvoyurodnyy brat ochen' vezhlivyy.Your cousin is very polite.
Example conversation
Sergey is showing Maria a family photo.
- Сергей SergeyСмотри́, это мой двою́родный брат.Smotri, eto moy dvoyurodnyy brat.Look, this is my cousin.
- Мария MariaОн очень похо́ж на тебя́, Серге́й.On ochen pokhozh na tebya, Sergey.He looks a lot like you, Sergey.
- Сергей SergeyДа, мы часто гуля́ли вме́сте в де́тстве.Da, my chasto gulyali vmeste v detstve.Yes, we used to hang out together often as children.
- Мария MariaПриятно быть зна́комой с ним по фото́.Priyatno byt znakomoy s nim po foto.It's nice to meet him via photo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cousin” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
