भाई

Hindi

Picture dictionary

भाई

नानी

नाना

दादी

दादा

मामी

मामा

मौसा

मौसी

माता

पिता

ताऊ

ताई

बुआ

फूफा

चाचा

चाची

भांजा

भांजी

जीजा

दीदी

बहनोई

बहन

भैया

भाभी

भाई

भौजाई

भतीजा

भतीजी

जेठानी

जेठ

नंदोई

ननद

देवरानी

देवर

साला

सलहज

साली

साढ़ू

साला

सलहज

पति

पत्नी

समधी

समधिन

बहू

बेटा

पोता

पोती

बेटी

दामाद

जमाई

नाती

नातिन

समधी

समधिन

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Etymology

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇𑀅 (bhāia) (see also 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), 𑀪𑀸𑀉 (bhāu), 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā)), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”). Cognate with Punjabi ਭਰਾ (bharā) / بھرا (bharā), Sindhi भाऊ / ڀاءُ (bhāū), Gujarati ભાઈ (bhāī), Marathi भाऊ (bhāū), Bengali ভাই (bhai), Persian برادر (barâdar), Ancient Greek φράτηρ (phrátēr), Latin frāter, Old Norse bróðir and Old English brōþor (English brother).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /bʱɑː.iː/, [bʱäː.iː]

Noun

भाई • (bhāī) m (feminine बहन, Urdu spelling بھائی)

1. brother

   Synonyms: (formal) भ्रातृ (bhrātŕ), (formal) भ्राता (bhrātā), भाऊ (bhāū), भैया (bhaiyā), बिरादर (birādar)

   मेरा छोटा भाई बहुत मासूम है।

   merā choṭā bhāī bahut māsūm hai.

   My younger brother is very naïve.

2. (informal, vocative) used to refer to any male person

   भाई-साहब ― bhāī-sāhab ― sir, mister

3. (informal, vocative) dude, friend, bro

   Synonym: यार (yār)

Declension

Declension of भाई (masc ind ī-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	भाई bhāī	भाई bhāī
oblique	भाई bhāī	भाइयों bhāiyõ
vocative	भाई bhāī	भाइयो bhāiyo

Related terms

• भैया (bhaiyā)

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “भाई”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “bhrāˊtr̥”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “भाई”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.
• Platts, John T. (1884) “भाई”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “भाई”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “भाई”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha

Marwari

Etymology

Inherited from Old Gujarati भाई (bhāī), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”).

Noun

भाई (bhāī) m

1. brother

Further reading

• “भाई”, in Marwari Dictionary, SIL International, 2015
• “भाई”, in राजस्थानी सबदकोस [rājasthānī sabadkos], charans.org, 2024
• Lalas, Sitaram (2013) “भाई”, in राजस्थानी सबद कोस: राजस्थानी-हिन्दी वृहद् कोश [rājasthānī sabad kos: rājasthānī-hindī vŕhad koś] (in Hindi), 2^nd edition, Jodhpur: चौपासनी शिक्षा समिती [caupāsnī śikṣā samitī].

Old Gujarati

Etymology

From Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), 𑀪𑀸𑀉 (bhāu), 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā),, from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”).

Noun

भाई • (bhāī) m

1. brother

Descendants

• Gujarati: ભાઈ (bhāī)