भाभी
bhābhī/bʱɑː.bʱiː/
The Hindi word for sister-in-law is भाभी (bhābhī).
भाभी refers specifically to the wife of one's older brother. It functions both as a kinship term to identify her relationship to you and as a direct way to address her.
How do you pronounce it?
bhābhī (bʱɑː.bʱiː).
Did you know?
- The word भाभी is believed to have originated from 'baby talk', evolving from the Prakrit word *𑀪𑀸𑀩𑁆𑀪 (*bhābbha).
- Calling a woman भाभी can be used as a friendly way to address any older woman who is a friend's wife, even if there is no blood relation.
- In many Indian cultures, addressing a भाभी by her given name is often considered disrespectful, even if she is close in age.
Examples in context
- मेरी भाभी बहुत अच्छी हैं।meri bhabhi bahut achchhi hain.My sister-in-law is very kind.
- भाभी, क्या आप चाय पिएँगी?bhabhi, kya aap chaay piyengi?Sister-in-law, would you like some tea?
- वह मेरी भाभी हैं।vah meri bhabhi hain.She is my sister-in-law.
Example conversation
Aditya is visiting Neha's house and seeing her brother's wife.
- नेहा Nehaआदित्य, मिलिए मेरी भाभी से।aaditya, miliye meri bhabhi se.Aditya, meet my sister-in-law.
- आदित्य Adityaनमस्ते भाभी, आपसे मिलकर खुशी हुई।namaste bhabhi, aapse milkar khushi hui.Hello sister-in-law, nice to meet you.
- नेहा Nehaभाभी बहुत स्वादिष्ट खाना बनाती हैं।bhabhi bahut swadisht khaana banaati hain.My sister-in-law cooks very delicious food.
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, मैंने सुना है।haan, maine suna hai.Yes, I have heard that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry भाभी, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries भाभी, CC BY-SA 4.0.
