Malayalam Family Relationship Terms

Father's father

Appooppan

Malayalam commonly uses the same word for paternal and maternal grandparents.

Father's mother

Ammooma

Mother's father

Appooppan

Mother's mother

Ammooma

Father

Achan

Mother

Amma

Father's older brother

Valyachan

Literally 'big father,' treated almost like a second father.

Father's younger brother

Cheriyachan

Literally 'small father.'

Father's sister

Ammayi

Mother's older brother

Ammavan

Mother's younger brother

Ammavan

Mother's sister

Valyamma (if older than your mother) / Cheriyamma (if younger)

Mirrors the valyachan/cheriyachan pattern for a mother's sisters.

Father's older brother's wife

Valyamma

Father's younger brother's wife

Cheriyamma

Mother's brother's wife

Ammayi

Same word as 'father's sister': Malayalam groups relatives by parent-equivalent role, the same pattern as Tamil and Telugu.

Father's sister's husband

Ammavan (regional variation, sometimes a descriptive term instead)

Reflects the traditional overlap between 'father's sister's husband' and 'mother's brother' as the same marriage-alliance category.

Mother's sister's husband

Valyachan / Cheriyachan

Older brother

Chettan

Younger brother

Anujan

Older sister

Chechi

Younger sister

Anujathi

Father's brother's son

Chettan / Anujan

Children of your valyachan/cheriyachan are treated as siblings, not cousins.

Father's brother's daughter

Chechi / Anujathi

Father's sister's son

Machan

A cross-cousin, traditionally a potential marriage partner in Malayalam culture, the same word as Tamil's machaan.

Father's sister's daughter

Machini

Mother's brother's son

Machan

Mother's brother's daughter

Machini

Mother's sister's son

Chettan / Anujan

Mother's sister's children are parallel cousins too, treated as siblings.

Mother's sister's daughter

Chechi / Anujathi

Son

Makan

Daughter

Makal

Grandson

Kochumakan

Literally 'little son'; Malayalam often doesn't distinguish grandson from a small son in everyday address.

Granddaughter

Kochumakal

Son-in-law

Marumakan

The same word also means 'nephew' — Malayalam doesn't split the two the way English does.

Daughter-in-law

Marumakal

Same overlap as marumakan: also means 'niece.'

Brother's son

Marumakan

Sister's son

Marumakan

Brother's daughter

Marumakal

Sister's daughter

Marumakal

Husband

Bharthavu

Wife

Bharya

Spouse's father

Ammavan

The same word as 'mother's brother': in traditional Malayalam cross-cousin marriage culture, your father-in-law and maternal uncle are often literally the same relationship.

Spouse's mother

Ammayi

Same word as 'father's sister,' mirroring the father-in-law/maternal-uncle overlap above.

Husband's older brother

Aliyan

Malayalam's 'aliyan' covers several brother-in-law relations (wife's brother, sister's husband, husband's brother); 'chettan'/'anujan' (elder/younger) is often added for clarity.

Husband's younger brother

Aliyan

Husband's sister

Aliyathi

Wife's brother

Aliyan

Wife's sister

Aliyathi

Brother's wife

Aliyathi

Sister's husband

Aliyan