Family words in Marathi
आई, बाबा, आजी, आजोबा — family words that open Marathi homes.
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Parents anchor all: आई (mother), बाबा (father) — माझी आई (my mother), माझे बाबा (my father). Marathi children chant आई first; learners should too. Home begins here.
Siblings share childhood: भाऊ (brother), बहीण (sister), दादा (elder brother), ताई (elder sister). दादा and ताई mark respect for age — birth order lives in address. Call elders rightly; love follows.
Grandparents crown memory: आजी (grandmother), आजोबा (grandfather) — story-keepers, sweet-givers, wisdom-wells. माझी आजी छान गोष्ट सांगते (my grandmother tells lovely stories) — every Marathi smiles. Honour them in speech.
The household gathers: कुटुंब (family), घर (home), लग्न (wedding), मूल (child). माझं कुटुंब मोठं आहे (my family is big) — then listen; Marathis narrate families with epic joy. Share yours; hear theirs.
Words and phrases for this topic
| English | Marathi | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Mother | आई | aai |
| Father | बाबा | baabaa |
| Brother | भाऊ | bhaau |
| Sister | बहीण | baheen |
| Elder brother | दादा | daadaa |
| Elder sister | ताई | taai |
| Grandmother | आजी | aaji |
| Grandfather | आजोबा | aajobaa |
| Uncle | काका | kaakaa |
| Aunt | काकू | kaaku |
| Family | कुटुंब | kutumb |
| Child | मूल | mool |
| Wedding / marriage | लग्न | lagna |
Language, culture, and common traps
Practice: recall, then use
Use this quick recall drill for Family words. Hide the script and romanisation columns; say the Marathi form for each cue before revealing its row, then check spelling and sound. The phrase-table speaker buttons provide a model when a matching browser voice is available.
- Mother
- Grandmother
- Wedding / marriage
Transfer practice. Choose one real relationship and practise the matching term in a short introduction. Family titles can carry age, affection, respect, and local habit, so they do not always map neatly onto English labels. When unsure, listen to how the family addresses one another and ask before using an intimate form. Start from आई (aai) and decide whether it fits the situation before using it elsewhere.
Context check. For Family words, “Wedding / marriage” belongs to a particular setting. A common mistake is to treat an English gloss as universal; read the language-specific note above and ask a fluent speaker when local usage differs.
Check your recall: answer key
- आई aai — Mother
- आजी aaji — Grandmother
- लग्न lagna — Wedding / marriage
Questions learners ask
आई (mother), बाबा (father), भाऊ (brother), बहीण (sister). Family first — Marathis ask about yours within minutes.
काका (uncle), काकू (aunt), आजी (grandmother), आजोबा (grandfather). Extended family, extended vocabulary.
माझं कुटुंब मोठं आहे (my family is big) — माझी आई शिक्षिका आहे (my mother is a teacher). Describe yours; hearts open.