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Hindi Family Relationships, Mapped
In English, one word — “uncle” — covers five different people. Hindi gives each of them a separate word, and the word you choose quietly says whose side of the family they’re on and whether they’re older or younger than your parent.
“Uncle” is five different people. Hindi keeps a name for each one.
Why “uncle” never fit
Think about the word "uncle." In English it does the work of your father's younger brother, your father's older brother, your mother's brother, your father's sister's husband and your mother's sister's husband — five distinct people, one tired word. "Aunt" is the same: it flattens five women into one.
Hindi refuses that shortcut. It keeps a separate word for each seat at the table, and each word carries two pieces of information English throws away: which side of the family the person is on — माँ (māṁ, mother) or पिता (pitā, father) — and, on the father's side, whether they are older or younger than your parent. Learn the pattern once and the whole family tree snaps into place.
The whole “uncle” fan-out, at a glance
Five uncles: चाचा (chāchā) — father's younger brother. ताऊ (tāū) — father's older brother. मामा (māmā) — mother's brother. फूफा (phūphā) — father's sister's husband. मौसा (mausā) — mother's sister's husband.
Five aunts, each paired to an uncle: चाची (chāchī) — चाचा's wife. ताई (tāī) — ताऊ's wife. मामी (māmī) — मामा's wife. बुआ (buā) — father's sister. मौसी (mausī) — mother's sister. Notice the symmetry: बुआ and मौसी are blood relatives (your father's and mother's sisters), so they get their own standalone words, while चाची, ताई and मामी marry in and take the feminine of their husband's title.
Your father’s side — दादा का परिवार
The paternal line. This is the side where age matters: Hindi splits your father’s brothers into older and younger with two entirely different words.
Paternal grandfather
Your father’s father.
Paternal grandmother
Your father’s mother.
Uncle — father’s older brother
Also heard as ताया (tāyā) in some families.
Aunt — ताऊ’s wife
Uncle — father’s younger brother
The everyday “chacha.”
Aunt — चाचा’s wife
Aunt — father’s sister
Also फूफी (phūphī) in some regions.
Uncle — बुआ’s husband
Your mother’s side — नाना का परिवार
The maternal line. Here there’s no older/younger split — one word covers your mother’s brother whatever his age.
Maternal grandfather
Your mother’s father.
Maternal grandmother
Your mother’s mother.
Uncle — mother’s brother
Older or younger, same word.
Aunt — मामा’s wife
Aunt — mother’s sister
Literally “like a little mother.”
Uncle — मौसी’s husband
Brothers, sisters, and how you address them
Siblings split by age too — and the older ones get a warm address word you’ll use far more than their name.
Brother
The general word for brother.
Sister
The general word for sister.
Older brother
Addressed as भैया (bhaiyā) or भाई साहब.
Younger brother
Older sister
Addressed as दीदी (dīdī) or दी.
Younger sister
Cousins — the pattern you already know
Hindi has no plain word for “cousin.” Instead it tells you which uncle or aunt the cousin comes through, then calls them brother (भाई) or sister (बहन). Learn the four endings and you can name any cousin.
Cousin through your चाचा (father’s brother)
Cousin through your मामा (mother’s brother)
Cousin through your बुआ (father’s sister)
Cousin through your मौसी (mother’s sister)
The logic: whose side, and how old
Two questions decide almost every word. First: whose side? A relative on your father’s side and the matching one on your mother’s side get different names — your father’s brother is चाचा or ताऊ, your mother’s brother is मामा; your father’s sister is बुआ, your mother’s sister is मौसी. Second, only on the father’s side: is this brother older or younger than your father? Older is ताऊ, younger is चाचा — two different words for what English would just call an uncle.
Why the extra care on the paternal side? Traditionally it’s the side you grew up living alongside, where seniority set the pecking order of the house, so the language kept the distinction sharp. You don’t need the history to use the words — just remember: father’s side splits by age, mother’s side doesn’t, and every uncle’s wife borrows the feminine of his title (चाचा → चाची, मामा → मामी, ताऊ → ताई).
The register: who you must never “tum”
Naming people is half the job; the other half is how you speak to them. Hindi has three words for “you,” and with family the rule is simple and unforgiving at the top end.
Everyone in the grandparents’ and parents’ generation takes आप (āp), the respectful “you” — दादा, दादी, नाना, नानी, and every चाचा, ताऊ, मामा, बुआ, मौसी and their spouses. These are the people you must never address with तुम (tum); doing so lands as rude, however warm your tone. Older siblings sit on the line: many families use आप or the respectful भैया / दीदी, others relax to तुम — follow what your family already does. Peers and younger cousins and siblings take तुम. And तू (tū)? Keep it for the people you grew up tangled with — a sibling or a cousin your own age — and never point it upward; aimed at an elder it’s an insult. When in doubt, reach up: start with आप and let them wave you down to तुम.
Want each of these words read out letter by letter? The free Hindi word bank breaks down the Devanagari for हजारों (thousands of) everyday words.
Browse the Hindi word bank →Questions people ask
What’s the difference between chacha and tau?
Both are your father’s brothers — the difference is age. ताऊ (tāū) is your father’s older brother; चाचा (chāchā) is his younger brother. Their wives follow the same split: ताई (tāī) and चाची (chāchī). This older/younger distinction only exists on the father’s side; your mother’s brother is मामा (māmā) whatever his age.
What do you call your mother’s brother in Hindi?
Your mother’s brother is मामा (māmā), and his wife is मामी (māmī). Unlike the father’s side, there’s no separate word for an older versus younger मामा — one word covers both. Your mother’s sister is मौसी (mausī) and her husband is मौसा (mausā).
Is there one word for “uncle” or “aunt” in Hindi?
No — and that’s the whole point. “Uncle” maps to five different Hindi words (चाचा, ताऊ, मामा, फूफा, मौसा) and “aunt” to five (चाची, ताई, मामी, बुआ, मौसी), because Hindi marks whose side of the family the person is on and, on the father’s side, whether they’re older or younger than your parent. Many younger Indians do also just say “uncle” and “aunty” in casual English-Hindi mix, but the exact words are what family members notice and warm to.
How do you say cousin in Hindi?
There’s no plain word for “cousin.” Hindi names the uncle or aunt the cousin comes through, then calls them brother or sister: चचेरा भाई (through your चाचा), ममेरा भाई (through your मामा), फुफेरा भाई (through your बुआ), मौसेरा भाई (through your मौसी) — and the feminine बहन forms for cousin sisters.
Which relatives do I address with आप and which with तुम?
Everyone in the parents’ and grandparents’ generation — दादा, दादी, नाना, नानी, and every चाचा, ताऊ, मामा, बुआ, मौसी and their spouses — takes the respectful आप (āp). Never use तुम (tum) with them. Peers and younger cousins and siblings take तुम. तू (tū) is only for the closest same-age intimates and is never aimed at an elder.
Are these family words the same across all Hindi-speaking families?
The core map is shared, because these words track family structure, not community. A few have regional alternates — ताऊ is also ताया (tāyā) in some families, and बुआ is फूफी (phūphī) in others — but चाचा, मामा, मौसी, दादा, नाना and the rest are understood everywhere Hindi is spoken. What varies most is the affectionate address form, not the underlying relationship.