तुम्हारे कितने भाई-बहन हैं?
In this lesson, you'll learn to ask about family size and talk about extended family members. Hindi has unique words for every relative — your father's brother (चाचा [cācā]) is a different word from your mother's brother (मामा [māmā])! You'll also learn numbers with कितने [kitne] (how many) and how to form plurals. Get ready to navigate the beautiful complexity of Indian family vocabulary!
Learning tips
- Hindi distinguishes between paternal and maternal relatives. चाचा [cācā] = father's younger brother, मामा [māmā] = mother's brother. English uses 'uncle' for both — Hindi doesn't!
- कितने [kitne] (how many) changes with gender: कितने भाई [kitne bhāī]? (masc.) vs. कितनी बहनें [kitnī bahnẽ]? (fem.). It follows the same -आ/-ई pattern you learned with मेरा/मेरी [merā/merī].
- Plural formation in Hindi has several patterns — but don't worry about memorizing all rules at once. The most common: masculine -आ [-ā] words change to -ए [-e] in plural.
- शादीशुदा [śādīśudā] is a Persian-origin word meaning 'married.' The -शुदा [-śudā] suffix means 'having become' — you'll see this pattern in other Hindi-Urdu words.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| माँ [mā̃] | mother | |
| पापा [pāpā] | father | |
| भाई [bhāī] | brother | |
| बहन [bahan] | sister | |
| बेटा [beṭā] | son | |
| बेटी [beṭī] | daughter | |
| दादा [dādā] | paternal grandfather | |
| दादी [dādī] | paternal grandmother | |
| परिवार [parivār] | family | |
| बड़ा [baṛā] | big/elder |
Dialog
Ravi is having lunch with his colleague at the IT office canteen in Gurugram (a major tech hub near Delhi). They're chatting about their families — a very common conversation topic in Indian workplaces. Notice how Ravi mentions his joint family setup where चाचा-चाची [cācā-cācī] (uncle-aunt from father's side) and मामा-मामी [māmā-māmī] (uncle-aunt from mother's side) all live together or nearby. The word इकलौता [iklautā] means 'only child' (masculine) — a relatively uncommon situation in India where large families are traditional.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| कितने | kitne | /kit̪.ne/ | how many | Masculine form. Feminine: कितनी [kitnī]. Follows the -आ/-ई gender pattern. |
| भाई-बहन | bhāī-bahan | /bʰaː.iː bə.hən/ | siblings (brothers and sisters) | A compound word. भाई [bhāī] + बहन [bahan] joined with a hyphen. |
| चाचा | cācā | /t͡ʃaː.t͡ʃaː/ | paternal uncle (father's younger brother) | Specifically father's YOUNGER brother. Father's elder brother is ताऊ [tāū]. |
| चाची | cācī | /t͡ʃaː.t͡ʃiː/ | paternal aunt (wife of father's younger brother) | The wife of चाचा [cācā]. Wife of ताऊ [tāū] is ताई [tāī]. |
| मामा | māmā | /maː.maː/ | maternal uncle (mother's brother) | ANY brother of your mother — no age distinction like the paternal side. |
| मामी | māmī | /maː.miː/ | maternal aunt (wife of mother's brother) | The wife of मामा [māmā]. Mother's sister is मौसी [mausī] — different word! |
| बच्चा | baccā | /bət͡ʃ.t͡ʃaː/ | child | Masculine singular. Plural: बच्चे [bacce]. Used for both boys and girls generically. |
| शादीशुदा | śādīśudā | /ʃaː.d̪iː.ʃʊ.d̪aː/ | married | Persian-origin word. Doesn't change for gender. Used as an adjective. |
| इकलौता | iklautā | /ɪk.lɔː.t̪aː/ | only (child), sole | Masculine form. Feminine: इकलौती [iklautī]. From एक [ek] (one). |
| सब | sab | /səb/ | all, everyone | Invariable — doesn't change for gender or number. Very common word. |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ताऊ | tāū | /t̪aː.uː/ | paternal uncle (father's elder brother) | Specifically father's ELDER brother — distinct from चाचा [cācā] (younger). |
| ताई | tāī | /t̪aː.iː/ | paternal aunt (wife of father's elder brother) | Wife of ताऊ [tāū]. |
| फूफा | phūphā | /pʰuː.pʰaː/ | paternal uncle (father's sister's husband) | Husband of your father's sister (बुआ [buā]). |
| फूफी | phūphī | /pʰuː.pʰiː/ | paternal aunt (father's sister's husband's wife / father's sister) | Can refer to father's sister or her household context. |
| भतीजा | bhatījā | /bʰə.t̪iː.d͡ʒaː/ | nephew (brother's son) | Your brother's son. Sister's son is भांजा [bhā̃jā]. |
| भतीजी | bhatījī | /bʰə.t̪iː.d͡ʒiː/ | niece (brother's daughter) | Your brother's daughter. Sister's daughter is भांजी [bhā̃jī]. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| कितने भाई-बहन हैं? | kitne bhāī-bahan haĩ? | How many siblings (do you have)? |
| सब साथ रहते हैं | sab sāth rahte haĩ | Everyone lives together |
| शादीशुदा हैं | śādīśudā haĩ | (Someone) is married |
Grammar: कितने/कितनी [kitne/kitnī] + number constructions and plural formation
| Singular — एकवचन [ekvacān] | Plural — बहुवचन [bahuvacān] | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| भाई [bhāī] (brother) | भाई [bhāī] (brothers) | -ई [-ī] ending: no change |
| बच्चा [baccā] (child) | बच्चे [bacce] (children) | -आ [-ā] → -ए [-e] |
| चाचा [cācā] (uncle) | चाचा [cācā] (uncles) | -आ [-ā] (kinship): no change |
| बहन [bahan] (sister) | बहनें [bahnẽ] (sisters) | consonant ending: add -एँ [-ẽ] |
| बेटी [beṭī] (daughter) | बेटियाँ [beṭiyā̃] (daughters) | -ई [-ī] → -इयाँ [-iyā̃] |
कितने/कितनी [kitne/kitnī] (how many) follows the same gender agreement pattern as possessives:
- कितने भाई? [kitne bhāī?] — How many brothers? (masculine)
- कितनी बहनें? [kitnī bahnẽ?] — How many sisters? (feminine)
Plural Formation in Hindi has several patterns:
1. Masculine -आ [-ā] → -ए [-e]: बच्चा [baccā] → बच्चे [bacce] (children)
2. Masculine -ई [-ī] ending: no change: भाई [bhāī] → भाई [bhāī] (brothers) — context tells you it's plural
3. Kinship terms in -आ [-ā]: usually no change: चाचा [cācā] → चाचा [cācā] (uncles)
4. Feminine consonant-ending: add -एँ [-ẽ]: बहन [bahan] → बहनें [bahnẽ] (sisters)
5. Feminine -ई [-ī] → -इयाँ [-iyā̃]: बेटी [beṭī] → बेटियाँ [beṭiyā̃] (daughters)
With numbers, Hindi is straightforward: दो भाई [do bhāī] (two brothers), तीन बच्चे [tīn bacce] (three children). The noun takes its plural form after numbers greater than one.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word.
- आपके भाई-बहन हैं?(how many — masculine)
- मेरे और मामी दिल्ली में हैं।(maternal uncle)
- मिलकर पाँच बच्चे हैं।(all/everyone)
- क्या आप हैं?(married)
- चाचा- और बच्चे सब साथ रहते हैं।(paternal aunt — wife of चाचा)
Grammar Application
Convert to plural or fill in the correct form of कितने/कितनी.
- बच्चा → बहुवचन? [baccā → bahuvacān?](-आ → -ए rule)
- बेटी → बहुवचन? [beṭī → bahuvacān?](-ई → -इयाँ rule)
- बहन → बहुवचन? [bahan → bahuvacān?](consonant ending: add -एँ)
- बहनें हैं? (how many) [ bahnẽ haĩ?](बहन is feminine → कितनी)
- बच्चे हैं? (how many) [ bacce haĩ?](बच्चे is masculine → कितने)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- How many siblings do you have?
- My uncle and aunt live in Delhi.
- All children are in one house.
- Are you married?
- My maternal uncle and aunt are very nice.
Creative Construction
Describe an Indian family (real or imaginary) in 2-3 sentences using this lesson's vocabulary.
Writing: Semi-vowels (अन्तःस्थ व्यंजन [antaḥstha vyañjan])
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| परिवार | parivār |
| रवि | ravi |
| वाह | vāh |
Today we learn the semi-vowels (अन्तःस्थ व्यंजन [antaḥstha vyañjan]) — four consonants that are 'in between' vowels and consonants:
- य [ya] — like 'y' in 'yes'
- र [ra] — a flapped 'r', similar to the Spanish single 'r'. NOT like the English 'r'!
- ल [la] — like 'l' in 'light' (dental — tongue touches upper teeth)
- व [va] — between English 'v' and 'w'. More like 'w' at the start of words, more like 'v' between vowels.
Practice: परिवार [parivār] (family) uses both र [ra] and व [va]. Notice how र [ra] takes a special form when combined with other consonants — it can appear as a hook above (र्) or a stroke below.
Takeaway
Hindi has specific words for every family relationship — paternal and maternal sides have completely different terms. चाचा [cācā] (father's brother) and मामा [māmā] (mother's brother) are NOT interchangeable like the English word 'uncle'!