ziju
/ˈt͡siː.ju/masculine
The Maltese word for uncle is ziju.
ziju refers to the brother (or brother-in-law) of someone’s parent.
Meaning: brother (or brother-in-law) of someone’s parent (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun ziju has several related forms. The feminine form meaning aunt is zija, and the plural form meaning uncles is zijiet. To express possession, use ziju tiegħu for his uncle and ziju tiegħek for your uncle.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈtsiː.ju/. The stress is on the first of the two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word ziju actually comes from the Ancient Greek word theîos, which means 'divine' or 'god-like'.
- In traditional Maltese culture, ziju can be used as a respectful term of address for an older man, even if there is no biological family connection.
- The use of ziju reflects the heavy influence of Sicilian culture on the Maltese language, despite Maltese being a Semitic language.
Examples in context
- Għandu relazzjoni ħafna tajba ma’ zijuh.He has a very good relationship with his uncle.This sentence shows how to describe a person's relationship with their ziju.
Example conversation
Maria and Kurt are talking about family members.
- MariaZiju jiskele jien?Is uncle coming?
- KurtIva, hu jasalta u jkun hawn.Yes, he is coming and will be here.
- MariaHawn hu ziju!Here is uncle!
- KurtBonġu, ziju!Good morning, uncle!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “uncle” translations and entries ziju, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ziju, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
