دادا
dadanoun, father's father
Urdu has two words for grandfather. In Pakistan, دادا (dada) is your father's father and نانا (nana) is your mother's father. It is also called دادا جان (dada jaan) and نانا جان (nana jaan).
Meaning: father of a parent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Pakistan | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| دادا | dada | noun, father's father |
| نانا | nana | noun, mother's father |
| دادا جان | dada jaan | affectionate |
| نانا جان | nana jaan | affectionate |
Adding جان (jaan) makes it affectionate: دادا جان (dada jaan) and نانا جان (nana jaan). In formal speech, a grandfather can be called دادا صاحب (dada sahab).
Which one should you use?
The same split is found for grandmothers, دادی (dadi) and نانی (nani). The words دادا and نانا also appear in compounds like نانا ابو (nana abbu).
When do people say it?
Grandfathers have an honored place in Pakistani homes, and many families live together in a large household with grandparents.
Did you know?
- In Urdu you name the side of the family in the word itself, so a Pakistani child never needs to say "paternal" or "maternal".
Examples in context
- میرے دادا جان گاؤں میں رہتے ہیں۔mere dada jaan gaon mein rehte hain.My paternal grandfather lives in the village.
- نانا جان ہمارے لیے مٹھائی لائے۔nana jaan hamare liye mithai laaye.Grandfather brought us sweets.
- دادا اور نانا دونوں ریٹائر ہیں۔dada aur nana dono retire hain.Both grandfathers are retired.
Example conversation
Ayaan asks his father about his grandfathers during a visit in Lahore.
- Ayaanابو، دادا جان کب آئیں گے؟abbu, dada jaan kab aaenge?Dad, when will Grandfather come?
- Abbuکل صبح، اور نانا جان بھی۔kal subah, aur nana jaan bhi.Tomorrow morning, and your other grandfather too.
- Ayaanواہ، دونوں آئیں گے!wah, dono aaenge!Wow, both will come!
