englishtohindi

Family words in Hindi: 7 phrases with pronunciation

Hindi kinship terms are more precise than English ones. There is no single word for uncle: चाचा is your father's younger brother, मामा is your mother's brother, and using one for the other is simply wrong rather than merely informal. The entries below spell out which side of the family each term belongs to.

Last updated

“Mother” in Hindi

माँ

Maa

“Mother” in Hindi is माँ, pronounced Maa. माँ is what you call her; माता (maata) is formal and used in writing or about goddesses. मम्मी (mummy) is extremely common in urban homes.

Example sentences

  • My mother is calling me.

    मेरी माँ मुझे बुला रही है।

    Meri maa mujhe bula rahi hai.

  • Mummy, what's for dinner?

    मम्मी, खाने में क्या है?

    Mummy, khaane mein kya hai?

“Father” in Hindi

पिता

Pita

“Father” in Hindi is पिता, pronounced Pita. पिता is the formal term used in documents. Addressing him directly you would say पापा (papa) or पिताजी (pitaji).

Example sentences

  • Father's name: Ramesh Kumar

    पिता का नाम: रमेश कुमार

    Pita ka naam: Ramesh Kumar

  • Papa, I need to talk to you.

    पापा, मुझे आपसे बात करनी है।

    Papa, mujhe aapse baat karni hai.

Common mistake

Calling your own father पिता to his face sounds like filling out a form. Use पापा or पिताजी.

“Brother” in Hindi

भाई

Bhai

“Brother” in Hindi is भाई, pronounced Bhai. भाई also works as a friendly address to any man your age — like "bro". बड़ा भाई is elder brother, छोटा भाई younger.

Example sentences

  • My elder brother lives in Delhi.

    मेरा बड़ा भाई दिल्ली में रहता है।

    Mera bada bhai Dilli mein rehta hai.

  • Bro, listen to me.

    भाई, मेरी बात सुन।

    Bhai, meri baat sun.

“Sister” in Hindi

बहन

Bahan

“Sister” in Hindi is बहन, pronounced Bahan. Like भाई, बहन extends beyond family as a respectful way to address a woman you don't know. दीदी (didi) is elder sister and very widely used.

Example sentences

  • My sister is a doctor.

    मेरी बहन डॉक्टर है।

    Meri bahan doctor hai.

  • Didi, can you help me?

    दीदी, ज़रा मदद कर दोगी?

    Didi, zara madad kar dogi?

“Friend” in Hindi

दोस्त

Dost

“Friend” in Hindi is दोस्त, pronounced Dost. दोस्त is gender-neutral and universal. मित्र (mitra) is the literary Sanskrit-derived word and sounds formal in speech.

Example sentences

  • He is my best friend.

    वह मेरा सबसे अच्छा दोस्त है।

    Voh mera sabse achha dost hai.

  • She is a good friend of mine.

    वह मेरी अच्छी दोस्त है।

    Voh meri achhi dost hai.

“My family” in Hindi

मेरा परिवार

Mera parivaar

“My family” in Hindi is मेरा परिवार, pronounced Mera parivaar. परिवार is masculine, so it takes मेरा not मेरी. घरवाले (gharwale — the house people) is the casual spoken equivalent.

Example sentences

  • My family lives in Jaipur.

    मेरा परिवार जयपुर में रहता है।

    Mera parivaar Jaipur mein rehta hai.

  • My family is coming tomorrow.

    मेरे घरवाले कल आ रहे हैं।

    Mere gharwale kal aa rahe hain.

“I love my family” in Hindi

मैं अपने परिवार से प्यार करता हूँ

Main apne parivaar se pyaar karta hoon

“I love my family” in Hindi is मैं अपने परिवार से प्यार करता हूँ, pronounced Main apne parivaar se pyaar karta hoon. Note अपने, not मेरे — Hindi uses the reflexive अपना when the possessor is the subject of the sentence. Women say करती हूँ.

Example sentences

  • I love my family very much.

    मैं अपने परिवार से बहुत प्यार करता हूँ।

    Main apne parivaar se bahut pyaar karta hoon.

  • She loves her family.

    वह अपने परिवार से प्यार करती है।

    Voh apne parivaar se pyaar karti hai.

Common mistake

मैं मेरे परिवार से… is wrong. When the subject owns the thing, Hindi requires अपना — a rule English has no equivalent for.

The grammar behind these phrases