How do you say “brother and sister” in Uzbek?

Aka, uka, opa, singil, pronounced a-KA, u-KA, o-PA, sin-GIL. Uzbek has no single word for brother or sister: it depends on whether they are older or younger than you.

How to say “brother and sister” in Uzbek

Ways to say it

Uzbek	Pronunciation	Meaning	When
aka	a-KA	older brother	Also a respectful address for any older man.
uka	u-KA	younger brother	Also used to address a younger man or boy.
opa	o-PA	older sister	Also a respectful address for any older woman.
singil	sin-GIL	younger sister
aka-uka	a-KA u-KA	brothers
opa-singil	o-PA sin-GIL	sisters

Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.

In a real exchange

Colleague: Aka-ukalaringiz bormi?
Do you have brothers?
You: Ha, bitta akam va bitta singlim bor.
Yes, I have one older brother and one younger sister.

Good to know

Add these to first names to be polite: Rustam aka, Nodira opa. Using a bare first name with someone older sounds abrupt.
Akam is “my older brother”; singlim is “my younger sister” (singil drops its i before the ending).
A taxi driver, a seller or a waiter is aka or opa. It is the normal way to get attention: Aka, qancha boʻladi?

Common mistakes

Calling a younger waiter aka is fine, but calling an older man uka is an insult.
Translating “my brother” without deciding older or younger. You have to choose.

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