Marathi Family Relationship Names Explained (English to Marathi Guide)

If you've ever sat at a family gathering in Maharashtra and lost track of who's a mama and who's a kaka, you're not alone. Marathi, like most Indian languages, doesn't use one flat word for "uncle" or "aunt" the way English does - it has a separate, specific term for almost every branch of the family. Knowing these terms isn't just useful for conversation; it's a small act of preserving how Marathi families have organized themselves for generations.

This guide walks through the most common Marathi family relationship names, organized the way you'd actually encounter them: immediate family first, then grandparents, then the wider web of uncles, aunts, in-laws and cousins.

Immediate Family

English	Marathi (Romanized)
Father	Baba / Vadil
Mother	Aai
Elder brother	Dada / Anna
Younger brother	Bhau
Elder sister	Tai
Younger sister	Bahin
Son	Mulga
Daughter	Mulgi
Husband	Navra
Wife	Baiko / Patni

Notice that Marathi, like Hindi and several other Indian languages, distinguishes an elder sibling from a younger one with a completely different word rather than an adjective. Calling an elder brother by his first name is often considered too casual in traditional households - "Dada" or "Anna" is used instead, even well into adulthood.

Grandparents

English	Marathi (Romanized)
Grandfather (paternal or maternal)	Ajoba
Grandmother (paternal or maternal)	Aaji

Unlike Hindi, which uses entirely separate word pairs for paternal grandparents (dada/dadi) versus maternal grandparents (nana/nani), Marathi generally uses Ajoba and Aaji for both sides, with the specific side made clear by context ("aaicha ajoba" - mother's grandfather - if disambiguation is ever needed). Regional and family variation exists, so don't be surprised if a Marathi-speaking family you know uses slightly different terms.

Uncles and Aunts

This is where Marathi kinship terms get genuinely useful, because each relationship carries information about how someone is related to you:

• Kaka - father's brother (paternal uncle)
• Kaku - kaka's wife
• Atya (or Aatya) - father's sister (paternal aunt)
• Mama - mother's brother (maternal uncle)
• Mami - mama's wife
• Mavshi - mother's sister (maternal aunt)
• Mavsa - mavshi's husband

A child growing up in a Marathi household typically knows instantly, just from the word used, whether a visiting relative is connected through their father's side or their mother's side - something English simply can't convey in the word "uncle" alone.

In-Laws

Marriage brings its own vocabulary in Marathi families:

• Sasra - father-in-law
• Saasu - mother-in-law
• Jaaway - son-in-law
• Sun - daughter-in-law
• Dir - husband's younger brother
• Nanand - husband's sister
• Mehuna - wife's brother
• Mehuni - wife's sister

These terms matter especially in joint-family settings, still common across Maharashtra, where an in-law relationship is a daily, lived-in one rather than an occasional-visit relationship.

Cousins

Marathi doesn't have a single dedicated word for "cousin" the way English does. Instead, cousins are usually referred to using the sibling terms above, sometimes with a qualifier attached - for example, "kakache mulga" (paternal uncle's son) or "mavshiche mulgi" (maternal aunt's daughter). In everyday conversation, most Marathi speakers today simply say "cousin brother" or "cousin sister" when speaking English or Marathi-English mixed sentences, borrowing the term directly.

Why These Terms Are Worth Preserving

Every kinship system encodes a piece of family history. The fact that Marathi keeps paternal and maternal uncles and aunts distinct, for instance, reflects how central the question "which side of the family are you from?" has traditionally been in organizing inheritance, obligation and closeness within Maharashtrian families. As younger generations grow up more comfortable in English than Marathi, terms like mavshi or chulat bhau are exactly the kind of detail that gets lost first - not because anyone decides to forget them, but because nobody wrote them down.

If you're building out your own family tree, this is a good moment to record not just names and dates but the actual words your family used for each other. A tool like My rOoOts lets you attach these relationship labels directly to the people in your tree, so the vocabulary survives alongside the names.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is "uncle" called in Marathi?

There isn't one word - it depends on which side of the family and whether they're older or younger than your parent. A father's brother is Kaka, a mother's brother is Mama, and their husbands (aunts' husbands) are Mavsa or Bhava depending on the relationship.

Is there a single Marathi word for "cousin"?

No. Marathi uses the same words as for siblings (Bhau for brother, Tai/Bahin for sister), often with a qualifier like "kakache" (uncle's) or "mavshiche" (aunt's) added to clarify exactly who is being referred to.

Do Marathi families use different words for paternal and maternal grandparents?

Generally no - Ajoba and Aaji are used for grandparents on either side, which is different from Hindi-speaking families, who typically use separate terms (dada/dadi versus nana/nani).

How do Marathi in-law terms differ from blood-relative terms?

In-law terms are entirely separate words (Sasra for father-in-law, Nanand for husband's sister, and so on) rather than the blood-relative term plus "-in-law," which is how English handles it.

Are these terms used the same way across all of Maharashtra?

Mostly, though small regional and family variations exist, especially in border areas near Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa where dialects blend. The terms above reflect the most widely used standard Marathi forms.

Create Your Family Tree for Free

Start building your family history in minutes with the My rOoOts Free Family Tree Creator. Add parents, grandparents, children, and relatives, organize generations visually, and create a beautiful family tree that you can save and share.

👉 Create your free family tree: Free Family Tree Creator

No design skills required. Simply enter your family details and generate a clear, easy-to-read family tree online for free.

---

Check Zodiac Compatibility for Any Two People

Curious about how well two people match based on their date of birth? Try the My rOoOts Zodiac Compatibility Tool to compare zodiac signs, explore relationship compatibility, and get a quick compatibility score for couples, friends, or family members.

👉 Check compatibility now: Zodiac Compatibility Calculator

You can enter two dates of birth and even mention the relationship type to get a more personalized compatibility result.