двою́рідний брат
dvojúridnyj bratmasculine
In Ukrainian, the word for cousin is двою́рідний брат (dvojúridnyj brat). Wiktionary also lists брат у пе́рших (brat u péršyx) and двою́рідна сестра́ (dvojúridna sestrá).
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| двою́рідний брат | dvojúridnyj brat | masculine |
| брат у пе́рших | brat u péršyx | masculine |
| двою́рідна сестра́ | dvojúridna sestrá | feminine |
| кузе́н | kuzén | masculine |
| кузи́на | kuzýna | 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', Ukrainian requires you to specify the gender by using двою́рідний брат for a male cousin and двою́рідна сестра́ for a female cousin.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The terms кузе́н and кузи́на are loanwords from French/English and are used in more casual, modern or urban speech compared to the traditional двою́рідний брат/двою́рідна сестра́.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a group of cousins of mixed or unspecified gender, use the plural adjective двою́рідні with the masculine plural noun брати (brothers) or the general plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
dvojúridnyj brat
Did you know?
- In many Ukrainian family contexts, instead of using the formal 'cousin' terms, people often simply use the word for 'brother' or 'sister' to emphasize closeness.
- While English uses 'cousin' for any relative in that category, Ukrainian kinship terms change based on the specific degree of relation, such as трою́рідний for a second cousin.
- The adjective двою́рідний is built on the root for 'two', reflecting the way the Ukrainian language calculates the distance between relatives.
Examples in context
- У нас сьогодні зустріч з кузенами.We have a gathering with cousins today.
- Мій двою́рідний брат живе в Києві.Miy dvoyuridnyy brat zhyve v Kyyevi.My cousin lives in Kyiv.
- Цей чоловік мій двою́рідний брат.Tsey cholovik miy dvoyuridnyy brat.This man is my cousin.
Example conversation
Serhii and Iryna are looking at old family photos.
- Сергій SerhiiХто цей хлопець на фото?Khto tsey khlopets na foto?Who is this boy in the photo?
- Ірина IrynaЦе мій двою́рідний брат.Tse miy dvoyuridnyi brat.This is my cousin.
- Сергій SerhiiВін дуже схожий на тебе.Vin duzhe skhozhyi na tebe.He looks a lot like you.
- Ірина IrynaТак, ми часто проводили час разом.Tak, my chasto provodyly chas razom.Yes, we spent a lot of time together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cousin” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
