Family is the heart of Urdu conversation. Combine these with Level 3 numbers ('mere do bhāī haiṉ' — I have two brothers) and Level 2 patterns to introduce your whole family.
امیammī — momFormal word: wālida. But everyone says ammī.
ابوabbū — dadFormal word: wālid.
بھائیbhāī — brotherAlso used for any friendly male — 'bhāī, listen!'
بہنbehen — sister
بیٹاbeṭā — sonElders call any young person 'beṭā' affectionately.
بیٹیbeṭī — daughter
دادیdādī — grandma (dad's side)Urdu splits the family tree by side!
نانیnānī — grandma (mom's side)Different word, different grandma.
دوستdost — friendA Persian loan — as in 'dostī', friendship.
میرے دو بھائی ہیںmere do bhāī haiṉ — I have two brothersLevel 3 numbers + Level 4 words. It's all connecting.
Good to know
✨ Urdu maps the family tree with surgical precision: your father's brother is chāchā, your mother's brother is māmūṉ, your father's sister's husband is phūphā… English's one word “uncle” covers at least six distinct Urdu relatives.
✨ “Bhāī” (brother) doubles as friendly street address for any man — shopkeepers, taxi drivers, strangers. “Bhāī jān” is warmer still.
✨ Urdu is Pakistan's national language, yet it's the mother tongue of well under 10% of Pakistanis — most grow up with Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, or others, and learn Urdu as the shared bridge language.
Urdu Ustaadh is a free Urdu-learning resource — native audio, daily games, the Nastaliq script, and Pakistani culture. A project of Muneeb Ata Enterprises. Start learning free →