Family Words

Written by Amel B.

About this Arabic family words activity

This activity teaches 15 family words. Family Tree shows an example family in four rows (grandparents, parents, children and other relatives), and tapping a card plays the word. All Words lays every card out in a grid. In Quiz your child sees a picture and its English name and picks the Arabic word from four choices. The family is only an example, since real families look different, and the pictures are emoji. The audio uses your device's Arabic voice, so it varies between devices.

The 15 words

Father's side and mother's side

English uses “uncle” and “aunt” for both sides of the family. Arabic has a separate word for each: عَمّ and عَمَّة are your father's brother and sister, while خَال and خَالَة are your mother's brother and sister. Many other languages make the same distinction, so it is a common pattern across the world.

Cousins follow the same logic, so there are four words for a male cousin and four for a female one: ابْن عَمّ and بِنْت عَمّ (child of your father's brother), ابْن عَمَّة and بِنْت عَمَّة (child of your father's sister), ابْن خَال and بِنْت خَال (child of your mother's brother), and ابْن خَالَة and بِنْت خَالَة (child of your mother's sister). The activity teaches the first of these.

Saying “my” and “this is”

Adding ـي means “my”: أَبِي (my father), أُمِّي (my mother), أَخِي (my brother), أُخْتِي (my sister), جَدِّي (my grandfather), جَدَّتِي (my grandmother), عَمِّي, عَمَّتِي, خَالِي and خَالَتِي.

• هَذَا أَبِي — This is my father.
• هَذِهِ أُمِّي — This is my mother.
• مَنْ هَذَا؟ — Who is this? (use مَنْ هَذِهِ؟ for a woman or girl)

Names you may hear at home

Children often say baba and mama instead of أَب and أُمّ, and grandparents have many affectionate names that depend on the region and the family, such as jiddo, sido, tita and sitto. In many places, children also call older neighbors عَمّ or خَالَة as a polite title, even when they are not relatives. Ask your own family which words they use.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up عَمّ and خَال. Check which parent the relative is connected to.
• Using ابْن عَمّ for every male cousin, when it means only the son of your father's brother.
• Forgetting the ـي ending when saying “my”.
• Mixing up أَخ (brother) and أُخْت (sister), which look similar.

A simple learning plan

1. Session 1. Learn parents and children first, and say “this is my …” for each.
2. Session 2. Add grandparents, then play the Quiz.
3. Session 3. Learn the father's side and mother's side words, using your own relatives as examples.

Away from the screen

• Photo labels. Stick Arabic labels on family photos at home.
• Draw your own family tree. Include whoever matters to your child, with Arabic labels.
• Call a relative. Have your child say the Arabic word for who they are talking to.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say family members in Arabic?

Father is أَب (ab), mother أُمّ (umm), brother أَخ (akh), sister أُخْت (ukht), grandfather جَدّ (jadd) and grandmother جَدَّة (jadda). “Family” is عَائِلَة (aa'ila) or أُسْرَة (usra).

What are “father” and “mother” in Arabic?

أَب and أُمّ. “My father” is أَبِي and “my mother” is أُمِّي. Children also say baba and mama.

What are “brother” and “sister” in Arabic?

أَخ (akh) and أُخْت (ukht). Brothers, or brothers and sisters together, can be إِخْوَة, and sisters are أَخَوَات.

What is “grandfather” in Arabic?

جَدّ (jadd). In everyday speech you will hear affectionate names such as jiddo or sido, which vary by region.

Why are there different words for father's side and mother's side?

Arabic names the relative's connection exactly: عَمّ and عَمَّة for the father's brother and sister, خَال and خَالَة for the mother's. Several other languages do this too.

How do you say “cousin” in Arabic?

There are separate words for each kind, for example ابْن عَمّ (son of your father's brother) and ابْن خَالَة (son of your mother's sister). In everyday speech many people simply say ابْن عَمِّي (my uncle's son) or use a general word for cousin.

How do you say “my” in Arabic?

Add ـي to the end of the word, as in أُخْتِي (my sister).

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