میرا بھائی
mera bhai/meː.ɾɑː bʱɑː.iː/word by word
The English phrase "my brother" is میرا بھائی (mera bhai) in Urdu.
میرا بھائی is used to refer to a male sibling.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of میرا, which means "my" and bhai, which means "brother".
Which one should you use?
Bhaiya is an informal way to refer to a brother, commonly used by younger siblings for older brothers, while bhai jaan is a common way to address or refer to a brother with more respect or affection.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more polite or affectionate way to address or refer to a brother, you can use bhai jaan. Conversely, Bhaiya is an informal way to refer to a brother.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /meː.ɾɑː bʱɑː.iː/.
When do people say it?
Adding jaan after bhai is a common way to address or refer to a brother with more respect or affection.
Did you know?
- While میرا بھائی literally means 'my brother', in many South Asian cultures, you might call a close male friend or even a stranger بھائی as a sign of social bonding and respect.
- The word بھائی shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'brother', meaning the linguistic connection between the two is thousands of years old.
- The term بھائی can be extended with the word جان, which literally translates to 'life', to create the affectionate address بھائی جان, meaning 'brother, my life'.
Examples in context
- کیوٹو میں میرا بھائی استاد بن گیا۔My brother in Kyoto became a teacher.This sentence uses میرا بھائی to describe a brother's profession.Tatoeba #1526991 by nabeel_tahir, translation #19327 by CN
- میرا بھائی ٹینس میں کبھی نہیں ہارا ہےMy brother has never lost at tennis.This sentence uses میرا بھائی to describe a brother's skill in tennis.Tatoeba #1434752 by nabeel_tahir, translation #1843429 by LanguageExpert
- میرا بھائی بہت اچھا انسان ہے۔merā bhāī bahut acchā insān hai.My brother is a very good person.
Example conversation
Sarah is introducing her brother to Ahmed.
- سارہ Saraاحمد، یہ میرا بھائی ہے۔Ahmed, yeh mera bhai hai.Ahmed, this is my brother.
- احمد Ahmedآپ سے مل کر خوشی ہوئی۔Aap se mil kar khushi hui.Nice to meet you.
- سارہ Saraوہ ابھی یونیورسٹی میں پڑھتا ہے۔Woh abhi university mein parhta hai.He is studying at university right now.
- احمد Ahmedبہت اچھی بات ہے۔Bohat achi baat hai.That is very good.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (میرا, بھائی) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries بھائی, میرا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
