oħt
/ɔħt/feminine
The Maltese word for sister is oħt.
oħt is a feminine noun referring to a woman or girl having the same parents.
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
You can create possessive forms by adding suffixes to oħt. Adding the suffix -i creates the first-person possessive oħti (my sister), adding the suffix -ok creates the second-person possessive oħtok (your sister) and adding the suffix -u creates the third-person possessive oħtu (his/her sister).
How do you pronounce it?
/ɔħt/
Did you know?
- Maltese speakers often use oħti as a friendly or affectionate term of address for women who are not biological sisters.
- The word oħt is a direct descendant of the Arabic word أُخْت, showcasing the language's Semitic foundation.
- The letter ħ in oħt is not a variation of the letter h but a completely different character with its own unique sound.
Examples in context
- oħtokYour sisterThis example shows how to use the second-person possessive form oħtok.
- oħt missieruHis father’s sister, his paternal auntThis example uses oħt to describe a paternal aunt.
- Oħti hija Kristjana.My sister is a Christian.This example uses the first-person possessive form oħti.Tatoeba #12392259 by Iye_Tete, translation #12188302 by Miktsoanit
Example conversation
Maria and Justin are looking at a family photo.
- MariaHawnhekk tidal l-oħt tiegħi.Here is my sister.
- JustinHija sabiħa ħafna.She is very beautiful.
- MariaGrazzi, hija oħt tajba.Thanks, she is a good sister.
- JustinGħandi oħt tajba wkif.I have a good sister too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries oħt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries oħt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
