Buddhist Family Relationship Terms

What do you call your father's brother, your cousin, or your spouse's sister in Buddhist? Browse or search the full chart below.

Buddhism is practiced across many countries and language communities (Thai, Sri Lankan, Tibetan, Burmese, Chinese, Japanese and more) with no single shared kinship vocabulary. Generic English terms are shown here; the Chinese and Japanese pages on this site are two real regional systems with large Buddhist populations.

Hindi Tamil Telugu Bengali Punjabi Chinese (Mandarin)Japanese American British / English Scottish Irish German French Italian Spanish Portuguese Mexican Polish Greek Christian Jewish Hindu Muslim Buddhist

Grandparents

Father's father

Grandpa

English doesn't distinguish paternal vs maternal grandparents in everyday use.

Father's mother

Grandma

Mother's father

Grandpa

Mother's mother

Grandma

Parents & Their Siblings

Father

Dad

Mother

Mom

Father's older brother

Uncle

English doesn't split aunts/uncles by side of the family or by age.

Father's younger brother

Uncle

Father's sister

Aunt

Mother's older brother

Uncle

Mother's younger brother

Uncle

Mother's sister

Aunt

Father's older brother's wife

Aunt

Father's younger brother's wife

Aunt

Mother's brother's wife

Aunt

Father's sister's husband

Uncle

Mother's sister's husband

Uncle

Siblings & Cousins

Older brother

Brother

No separate word for older vs younger siblings.

Younger brother

Brother

Older sister

Sister

Younger sister

Sister

Father's brother's son

Cousin

Father's brother's daughter

Cousin

Father's sister's son

Cousin

Father's sister's daughter

Cousin

Mother's brother's son

Cousin

Mother's brother's daughter

Cousin

Mother's sister's son

Cousin

Mother's sister's daughter

Cousin

Children, Grandchildren & Their Spouses

Son

Daughter

Grandson

Granddaughter

Son-in-law

Daughter-in-law

Brother's son

Nephew

Sister's son

Nephew

Brother's daughter

Niece

Sister's daughter

Niece

Spouse & In-Laws

Husband

Wife

Spouse's father

Father-in-law

Spouse's mother

Mother-in-law

Husband's older brother

Brother-in-law

Husband's younger brother

Brother-in-law

Husband's sister

Sister-in-law

Wife's brother

Brother-in-law

Wife's sister

Sister-in-law

Brother's wife

Sister-in-law

Sister's husband

Brother-in-law

Terms shown here are the American system.

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