Farsi Family Words: Mother, Father & 30 More
Learn 30+ Farsi family words including mother, father, brother, sister, and extended family. Persian script, phonetics, and example sentences for beginners.
Thomas van Welsenes
Founder of Learn Farsi
Why Family Words Are a Beginner Must
Family is the most personal topic in any language. The moment you meet someone Iranian, the conversation will turn to your family and theirs. It is part of Persian hospitality.
The word for family in Farsi is خانواده (khaanevaade). It comes from خانه (khaane, home) and means "the people of the home".
This guide covers 30 plus family words, from the immediate family to in laws and extended relatives. Every word includes the Persian script and a phonetic spelling.
Parents and Siblings
Start with the closest family.
- مادر (maadar), mother (formal)
- مامان (maamaan), mom (everyday)
- پدر (pedar), father (formal)
- بابا (baabaa), dad (everyday)
- برادر (baraadar), brother
- داداش (daadaash), bro (casual)
- خواهر (khaahar), sister
- آبجی (aabji), sis (casual)
Note that مادر and پدر are also the roots of English maternal and paternal. Persian and English share Indo European ancestors, so many family words rhyme.
Grandparents
Persian distinguishes between the maternal and paternal side, but in everyday speech most people use the simple terms.
- مادربزرگ (maadar-bozorg), grandmother, literally "big mother"
- پدربزرگ (pedar-bozorg), grandfather, literally "big father"
- مامانبزرگ (maamaan-bozorg), grandma (everyday)
- بابابزرگ (baabaa-bozorg), grandpa (everyday)
- نوه (naveh), grandchild
- نتیجه (natije), great grandchild
The word بزرگ (bozorg, big) is the key. Persian uses it to mean "elder" or "senior". You can also see it in برادر بزرگ (baraadar-e bozorg, big brother, eldest brother).
Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins
Here Persian splits more than English does. Maternal and paternal relatives have separate words.
- عمو (amoo), paternal uncle (father's brother)
- عمه (amme), paternal aunt (father's sister)
- دایی (daa'i), maternal uncle (mother's brother)
- خاله (khaale), maternal aunt (mother's sister)
Cousin words follow the same split.
- پسرعمو (pesar-amoo), male cousin from your father's brother
- دخترعمه (dokhtar-amme), female cousin from your father's sister
- پسردایی (pesar-daa'i), male cousin from your mother's brother
- دخترخاله (dokhtar-khaale), female cousin from your mother's sister
The pattern: پسر (pesar, son) or دختر (dokhtar, daughter) plus the uncle or aunt word. Logical and easy to build once you know the four core relatives.
Spouses and Children
Married couples and their kids.
- همسر (hamsar), spouse (formal, gender neutral)
- شوهر (shohar), husband
- زن (zan), wife (also means woman)
- خانم (khaanom), wife, also a polite address for any woman
- پسر (pesar), son or boy
- دختر (dokhtar), daughter or girl
- بچه (bache), child
- نوزاد (nozaad), newborn
همسر is the polite modern word couples use to introduce each other. In legal or written contexts, شوهر and زن are still standard.
In Laws
Persian in laws have their own set of words. They follow a pattern.
- پدرشوهر (pedar-shohar), father in law (husband's father)
- مادرشوهر (maadar-shohar), mother in law (husband's mother)
- پدرزن (pedar-zan), father in law (wife's father)
- مادرزن (maadar-zan), mother in law (wife's mother)
- برادرشوهر / برادرزن, brother in law
- خواهرشوهر / خواهرزن, sister in law
- عروس (aroos), daughter in law, also means bride
- داماد (daamaad), son in law, also means groom
The parent's perspective is built in. پدرشوهر is the husband's father, پدرزن is the wife's father. The wedding words عروس and داماد double as in law labels for life.
Step Family and Half Family
Less common but useful to know.
- ناپدری (naapedari), stepfather
- نامادری (naamaadari), stepmother
- برادر ناتنی (baraadar-e naatani), half brother or stepbrother
- خواهر ناتنی (khaahar-e naatani), half sister or stepsister
- فرزندخوانده (farzand-khaande), adopted child
The prefix نا (naa) means "not" or "unrelated". ناتنی (naatani) means "not of the same body", a polite way of saying step or half.
Practice Sentences
Try these out loud to lock in the words.
- اسم مادرم مریم است. (esm-e maadaram Maryam ast.), My mother's name is Maryam.
- من دو برادر و یک خواهر دارم. (man do baraadar va yek khaahar daaram.), I have two brothers and one sister.
- بابابزرگم در شیراز زندگی میکند. (baabaabozorgam dar Shiraaz zendegi mikonad.), My grandfather lives in Shiraz.
- این عکس خانواده من است. (in aks-e khaanevaade-ye man ast.), This is a photo of my family.
The small ending ـم (-am) means "my". Stick it on any family word for a quick possessive: مادرم (my mom), برادرم (my brother), خانهام (my home). For more on this pattern, see our Farsi grammar basics guide.
Cultural Notes
Family in Iran is wide. The English idea of "immediate family" barely exists. Cousins are treated almost like siblings. Grandparents often live in the same home or street.
Three habits worth knowing.
Family titles for non family. Iranians call older women خاله (auntie) and older men عمو (uncle) even if no relation. It is warm, not weird.
Asking about family. "How is your family?" (خانواده چطورن؟, khaanevaade chetowran?) is a standard greeting after hello. It is polite to ask back.
Photos. Many Iranians keep their family on their phone wallpaper. Showing them a photo of yours is a fast way to connect.
Learn more in our taarof and Persian politeness guide.