pinsan
/ˈpinsan/
The Tagalog word for cousin is pinsan.
pinsan 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)
How does it change in a sentence?
To make pinsan plural, add the marker mga before it to form mga pinsan (cousins). To indicate possession, place the pronoun after the noun: pinsan ko means my cousin, pinsan mo means your cousin and pinsan niya means his or her cousin.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpinsan/
Did you know?
- In the Philippines, pinsan is often used as a friendly term of address for peers or acquaintances, even if they are not actually related by blood.
- The word pinsan is actually a doublet of the word minsan, which means 'once' or 'sometimes'.
- While pinsan is the standard term, in many Filipino families, people prefer to use specific kinship terms like 'kuya' (older brother) or 'ate' (older sister) for their cousins to show respect.
Examples in context
- Pinsan mo ba ito?Is this your cousin?This sentence is useful for asking if a person is your pinsan.Tatoeba #13889169 by qwertzu, translation #10475719 by Amastan
- Pinsan mo ba siya?Is she your cousin?Tatoeba #13889168 by qwertzu, translation #11948963 by sundown
- Mga pinsan ko sila.They're my cousin.This sentence is useful for identifying a group as your pinsan.Tatoeba #11713753 by qwertzu, translation #12127889 by shekitten
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juan and Jasmine are talking about family at a gathering.
- JuanPinsan mo ba si Maria?Is Maria your cousin?
- JasmineOo, pinsan ko siya.Yes, she is my cousin.
- JuanAng bait ng pinsan mo.Your cousin is very kind.
- JasmineSalamat, Juan.Thank you, Juan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cousin” translations and entries pinsan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pinsan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
