# Does English (or other languages) have multiple words for aunt/uncle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521 "2015-12-27T23:54:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/1 "2015-12-27T23:54:58Z")
My sister’s kids and my wife’s sister’s kids are my nieces and nephews. I am an uncle to each of them. In one case I am a blood relative (0th cousin once removed) and in the other case unrelated (although in reality a distant cousin). Is there a distinction in English or other languages, or is “uncle” the universal term? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/2 "2015-12-28T00:06:56Z")
Uncle and Aunt are properly your parent’s male and female siblings on both sides. This is often extended as a courtesy title to other relatives and friends of one’s parents. I had several, who were not related in any way. One could also use the title for great aunts and uncles - one’s grandparents’ siblings and even beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/3 "2015-12-28T00:20:43Z")
Chinese has distinct words for a wide array of family members. For example, “aunt” in Cantonese > [@](#): > > 姑媽 (gūmà) > father’s elder sister > 姑姐 (gūjè) > father’s younger sister > 伯娘 (baakleùhng) > father’s elder brother’s wife > 阿嬸 (asám) > father’s younger brother’s wife > 姨媽 (yìhmā) > mother’s elder sister > 阿姨 (ayì) > mother’s younger sister > 舅姆 (káuhmóuh) / 妗姆 (káhmmóuh) > mother’s brother’s wife > 阿姨 (ayì) / 姨姨 (yīyī) > general term > **[Family words in Chinese languages](https://www.omniglot.com/language/kinship/chinese.htm)** > > Words for family members and other relatives in Cantonese, Hakka, Mandarin and Taiwanese. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/4 "2015-12-28T00:44:17Z")
Even in English, it’s not uncommon to hear someone refer to an uncle or aunt by marriage. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/5 "2015-12-28T01:34:49Z")
My nephew (my older sister’s son) actually defined this for our family: “If they are around my parent’s age, they are my aunt/uncle. If they are my age or younger, they are cousins.” My family is pretty extensive and many of them are not actually related to us, but are considered family none the less ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/6 "2015-12-28T01:36:50Z")
I don’t speak it, but I hang around in circles that speak Hindi, and [there’s quite a lot of specificity](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Hindi/Family_relations) regarding aunts and uncles and other familiar relationships. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/7 "2015-12-28T04:04:46Z")
In Spanish both are tío/tía, but you could be more specific with “tío/tía carnal” (flesh uncle/aunt) for mom/dad’s sibling. We also use tío/tía for our friends’ parents. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/8 "2015-12-28T04:28:02Z")
And while _tío/tía postizo/a_ (“attached” or “false” aunt/uncle; think hairpiece) is impolite and unlikely to be found in writing, it’s the equivalent of the English uncle/aunt by marriage. There’s some relations which in English are cousins Nth removed and in Spanish are types of uncles/aunts: parents’ cousin = cousin once removed (there is no indication if up or down the tree, is it?) = _tío segundo_. And of course there’s your _tíos abuelos_ (great uncles) and your _tíos bisabuelos_ (great great uncles) and your _tíos tatarabuelos_ (great great great uncles)… I even know several of my _tíos abuelos segundos_, cousins of my grandparents, and of my _tíos bisabuelos segundos_, cousins of my great grandparents 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/9 "2015-12-28T04:41:58Z")
The English words “uncle” and “aunt” each covers five relationships in Bengali— Jyethamoshai/Jethu— father’s elder brother — his wife: Jethima/Jethi Kaka— father’s younger brother — his wife: Kakima/Kaki Pishima/Pishi— father’s sister — her husband: Pishemoshai/Pisho Mama— mother’s brother — his wife: Mamima/Mami Mashima/Mashi— mother’s sister — her husband: Meshomoshai/Mesho ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/10 "2015-12-28T04:50:32Z")
So the question then becomes - Is the english aunt / uncle specific enough? As demonstrated by other languages, there are different words for different relationships - which way is better? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/11 "2015-12-28T04:59:52Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And while _tío/tía postizo/a_ (“attached” or “false” aunt/uncle; think hairpiece) is impolite and unlikely to be found in writing, it’s the equivalent of the English uncle/aunt by marriage. > > There’s some relations which in English are cousins Nth removed and in Spanish are types of uncles/aunts: parents’ cousin = cousin once removed (there is no indication if up or down the tree, is it?) = _tío segundo_. > > And of course there’s your _tíos abuelos_ (great uncles) and your _tíos bisabuelos_ (great great uncles) and your _tíos tatarabuelos_ (great great great uncles)… I even know several of my _tíos abuelos segundos_, cousins of my grandparents, and of my _tíos bisabuelos segundos_, cousins of my great grandparents 🙂 There’s also “tía política / tío político” = uncle / aunt by marriage. I married into a Danish family, Danish is bizarrely specific about who’s who. From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Onkel = Uncle, used mostly for a man married to a moster or faster > Morbror = Mother’s brother > Farbror = Father’s brother > Tante = Aunt, used mostly about a woman married to a farbror or morbror > Moster = Mother’s sister > Faster = Father’s sister ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/12 "2015-12-28T07:58:41Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > So the question then becomes - > > Is the english aunt / uncle specific enough? As demonstrated by other languages, there are different words for different relationships - which way is better? Aunt and uncle are perfectly adequate in English (for us Murkins, anyway. I won’t presume to speak for our cousins across the pond in Old Blighty). This includes uncles and aunts by marriage. Arguably, even by former marriage. For instance, my late mother-in-law’s sister was briefly married to Alan Jay Lerner. Even though he married Fred McMurray’s wife from the Absent-Minded Professor before my wife was even born, in my household, we still refer to him as “Uncle Alan.” ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/13 "2015-12-28T11:01:10Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Chinese has distinct words for a wide array of family members. > > For example, “aunt” in Cantonese … Seven words for aunt! Four for the {older,younger} sister of your {father,mother} and another three for the wife of an uncle. (Only three because the older/younger information is suppressed in the case of mother’s sister-in-law.) Ignoring obsolescent terms, Thai makes do with a mere three words for aunt. Father’s older sister (or older brother’s wife) and mother’s older sister (or older brother’s wife) all share the same word (ป้า). Father’s younger sibling (or younger sibling’s spouse) all share a second word (อา). Mother’s younger sibling (or younger sibling’s spouse) all share the third word (น้า). Similarly there are three words for uncle: (ลุง) and two of the words just described for aunt: when the aunt/uncle is your parent’s younger sibling, that person’s gender is not implied by the kinship word; instead the gender of the relevant parent determines the word! The older/younger relation is determined by the blood relative. My wife is younger than her sister who is younger than me, but my nephews call me by the word for younger aunt/uncle. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/14 "2015-12-28T13:03:24Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > So the question then becomes - > > Is the english aunt / uncle specific enough? As demonstrated by other languages, there are different words for different relationships - which way is better? Since all languages can describe each relationship with precision when necessary, there’s no “better” or “worse,” just different. And if you’re rationing syllables and prize specificity, perhaps “more efficient” or “less efficient.” Personally, I always have to specify “my good aunt” and “my evil aunt,” and I’m not aware of a language on earth that has the necessary kinship terms. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/15 "2015-12-28T13:56:52Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Is the english aunt / uncle specific enough? As demonstrated by other languages, there are different words for different relationships - which way is better? Languages evolve to fit the customs of the people. In the languages are more specific there are cultural reasons for this. It’s important in Chinese to know if the aunt or uncle is older or younger than the parent. This was not as important in England when the words developed. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/16 "2015-12-28T13:57:45Z")
English has as many kinship terms as it needs. If a language differentiates, say, between cross and parallel cousins (a cross cousin is the child of your father’s sister or mother’s brother) it is most likely because cross cousins are not subject to incest taboos (in fact are often most favored mates) while parallel cousins are. My late colleague Joachim Lambek wrote a number of papers on kinship terms in various languages (always using native informants). Unfortunately, they appear in the Journal of Theoretical Linguistics and are behind a paywall. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/17 "2015-12-28T14:01:10Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > So the question then becomes - > > Is the english aunt / uncle specific enough? As demonstrated by other languages, there are different words for different relationships - which way is better? I’m not sure that this is the question that it becomes. I recall reading recently that the words we use affects the way we think about things. And it certainly seems to me in societies that have more precise kinship terms tend to treat the differently-named relationships as different kinds of relationships. In Anglo-American culture, uncle/aunt/cousin are very broad terms, especially cousin. I recall being surprised as a child to learn that in English, “cousin” could mean someone in a different generation. Before that, I had been using it only for relatives in my generation. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/18 "2015-12-28T14:14:57Z")
I’ve always found it odd that English doesn’t have a collective term for aunts & uncles. I mean, your father & mother are your parents, your brothers & sisters are your siblings, your sons & daughters are your children, but your aunts & uncles are… uh… aunts & uncles. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/19 "2015-12-28T15:06:11Z")
In Arabic the word indicates whether the aunt or uncle is the sibling of your mother vs. your father. I’m not sure if the words are atomic or really just phrases that translate literally as “the sister of my father,” etc. I will check with my Arabic-speaking wife. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521/20 "2015-12-28T15:44:07Z")
Adding the correct spellings in Bengali — > [@Acsenray](#): > > The English words “uncle” and “aunt” each covers five relationships in Bengali— > > Jyethamoshai/Jethu— father’s elder brother জ্যাঠামশাই / জেঠু, > [@](#): > > — his wife: Jethima/Jethi জেঠিমা / জেঠি > [@](#): > > Kaka— father’s younger brother কাকা > [@](#): > > — his wife: Kakima/Kaki কাকিমা / কাকি > [@](#): > > Pishima/Pishi— father’s sister পিসীমা / পিসি > [@](#): > > — her husband: Pishemoshai/Pisho পিসেমশাই / পিশো > [@](#): > > Mama— mother’s brother মামা > [@](#): > > — his wife: Mamima/Mami মামিমা / মামী > [@](#): > > Mashima/Mashi— mother’s sister মাসিমা / মাসি > [@](#): > > — her husband: Meshomoshai/Mesho মেসোমশাই / মেসো [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-english-or-other-languages-have-multiple-words-for-aunt-uncle/741521.md?page=2)