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 | |
| opam | o-PAM | my older sister | Opa plus -m; the ending is just -m after a vowel. |
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. - Colleague: Ular qayerda yashaydi?
Where do they live? - You: Akam Toshkentda, singlim Samarqandda yashaydi.
My older brother lives in Tashkent, my younger sister in Samarkand.
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?
- Opam, akam, ukam: after a vowel the “my” ending is just -m, as in onam and otam.
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.