If you grew up hearing buvi, amaki and xola, you may know exactly who is who, even if you have never had to say it in a sentence. Uzbek is more exact about relatives than English: a father’s brother and a mother’s brother are different words, and so are a father’s sister and a mother’s sister. The one grammar idea on this page is how these words take “my” and “your”: the endings -im and -ingiz, and the warm -jon.
This page is part of Uzbek for heritage learners, the guide for the Uzbek diaspora and families abroad.
Grandparents and parents
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Buvi | bu-VI | Grandmother (either side of the family); in speech some families also say the Russian babushka |
| Bobo | bo-BO | Grandfather (either side); in speech some families also say the Russian dedushka |
| Buvijon | bu-vi-JON | Grandma, said warmly |
| Bobojon | bo-bo-JON | Grandpa, said warmly |
| Katta ona | kat-TA o-NA | Grandmother, literally “big mother” (some families) |
| Katta ota | kat-TA o-TA | Grandfather, literally “big father” (some families) |
| Ena, momo | e-NA, mo-MO | Grandmother in some families |
| Ota | o-TA | Father (the standard, written word) |
| Ona | o-NA | Mother (the standard, written word) |
| Dada | da-DA | Dad (everyday speech) |
| Oyi | o-YI | Mum (everyday speech) |
| Ota-ona | o-ta-o-NA | Parents |
Families differ here more than anywhere else. The standard words are buvi and bobo, and they are what you will find in books and on signs. At home you may hear ena or momo, katta ona and katta ota, or oyijon, which means “mum” in many families and a grandmother in some. Use what your family says, and learn buvi and bobo so that any Uzbek speaker understands you. The mother and father page has more on ota, ona, dada and oyi.
Aunts, uncles and cousins
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Amaki | a-ma-KI | Father’s brother (uncle); in speech some families say the Russian dyadya |
| Togʻa | to-GʻA | Mother’s brother (uncle) |
| Amma | am-MA | Father’s sister (aunt) |
| Xola | kho-LA | Mother’s sister (aunt); in speech some families say the Russian tyotya |
| Amakivachcha | a-ma-ki-vach-CHA | Cousin: the child of your amaki (father’s brother) |
| Togʻavachcha | to-gʻa-vach-CHA | Cousin: the child of your togʻa (mother’s brother) |
| Ammavachcha | am-ma-vach-CHA | Cousin: the child of your amma (father’s sister) |
| Xolavachcha | kho-la-vach-CHA | Cousin: the child of your xola (mother’s sister) |
| Qarindosh | qa-rin-DOSH | Relative |
| Qarindoshlar | qa-rin-dosh-LAR | Relatives |
| Oila | o-i-LA | Family |
English has one word for both uncles and one for both aunts. In Uzbek you say which side: amaki and togʻa, amma and xola. The cousin words are the relative plus -vachcha, so each one tells you whose child the cousin is. Older and younger brothers and sisters have their own words too, covered on the brother and sister page. How to address people with siz, -jon and the polite family words is on addressing people.
The next generation, and “my” and “your” in sentences
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Jiyan | ji-YAN | Nephew or niece (a brother’s or sister’s child) |
| Nabira | na-bi-RA | Grandchild |
| Evara | e-va-RA | Great-grandchild |
| Oilam katta. | o-i-LAM kat-TA | My family is big. |
| Bu mening buvim. | BU me-NING bu-VIM | This is my grandmother. |
| Xolam Toshkentda yashaydi. | kho-LAM tosh-kent-DA ya-shay-DI | My aunt (mother’s sister) lives in Tashkent. |
| Amakimning ikkita oʻgʻli bor. | a-ma-kim-NING ik-ki-TA oʻgʻ-LI BOR | My uncle has two sons. |
| Bu mening amakivachcham. | BU me-NING a-ma-ki-vach-CHAM | This is my cousin (my father’s brother’s child). |
| Bu mening jiyanim. | BU me-NING ji-ya-NIM | This is my nephew/niece. |
| Qarindoshlaringiz koʻpmi? | qa-rin-dosh-la-rin-GIZ koʻp-MI | Do you have many relatives? |
“My”, “your” and warm -jon
Every family word can take an ending that says whose relative it is. The pattern is the same for all of them:
- buvi → buvim, buvingiz: -m means “my” after a vowel (buvim, bobom, xolam, amakim, onam, otam), and -im after a consonant (jiyan → jiyanim, qarindosh → qarindoshim). “Your” in the polite form is -ngiz after a vowel (buvingiz, amakingiz, xolangiz) and -ingiz after a consonant (jiyaningiz, qarindoshingiz). The pronoun mening (“my”) is often dropped: Buvim alone is enough.
- buvisi, amakisi: -si after a vowel (and -i after a consonant) means “his” or “her”. Uning buvisi is “his/her grandmother”.
- bobong, xolang: this is “your” to a child or someone you call sen. Your grandparents will often say it to you: Bu sening bobong. You use -ngiz with them, not -ng.
- buvijon, bobojon, amakijon, xolajon: -jon is added to a family word to make it warm. Use it when you speak to the person: Buvijon, qalaysiz? The word jon means “soul” or “life”.
Looking at an old photo
Nodir: Buvijon, bu rasmda kim bor?
Grandma, who is in this photo?
Buvi: Bu sening bobong. Yoshligida shunday edi.
That’s your grandfather. This is how he looked when he was young.
Nodir: Bu esa kim?
And who is this?
Buvi: Bu sening xolang. Bu esa sening amakivachchang.
This is your aunt, your mother’s sister. And this is your cousin.
Nodir: Qarindoshlarimiz koʻp ekan!
We have so many relatives!
Buvi: Ha, oilamiz katta.
Yes, our family is big.
Uzbekcha is being built to teach Uzbek from the words you already hear at home, one pattern at a time. At launch, lessons are in English and compare Uzbek with your first language. Join the waitlist.