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Who is who: Uzbek kinship terms explained
Updated: 6 October 2026
Uzbek names relatives more precisely than English does. An “uncle” is either amaki or tog‘a, and a “cousin” depends on whose child they are. Here are the main words, from parents to in-laws.
Parents and ancestors
Going up the direct line, each generation is called:
| Generation | Uzbek | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ota / Ona | Father / Mother |
| 2 | Bobo / Buvi | Grandfather / Grandmother |
| 3 | Katta bobo / Katta buvi | Great-grandfather / great-grandmother |
| 4 and beyond | 4-pusht bobo, 5-pusht bobo… | Great-great-grandfather and beyond |
Words for distant generations vary between families: some say “Doda”, others use their own word. That is fine — what matters is that the family understands each other.
Brothers and sisters
Uzbek marks age: aka is an elder brother, uka a younger one; opa an elder sister, singil a younger one. When ages are unknown, people say “aka-uka” and “opa-singil”.
Uncles and aunts on each side
| Who | Uzbek | Side |
|---|---|---|
| Father’s brother | Amaki | father’s |
| Father’s sister | Amma | father’s |
| Mother’s brother | Tog‘a | mother’s |
| Mother’s sister | Xola | mother’s |
In English all four are just “uncle” or “aunt”, which is why family stories get confusing in translation.
Cousins
A cousin is named after the parent the relationship runs through:
- amakivachcha — children of an amaki (father’s brother);
- ammavachcha — children of an amma (father’s sister);
- tog‘avachcha — children of a tog‘a (mother’s brother);
- xolavachcha — children of a xola (mother’s sister).
Children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews
- o‘g‘il — son, qiz — daughter;
- nabira — grandchild;
- chevara — great-grandchild;
- evara — great-great-grandchild;
- jiyan — niece or nephew, a brother’s or sister’s child.
Relatives by marriage
| Uzbek | Who it is |
|---|---|
| Qaynota / Qaynona | Father- / mother-in-law |
| Kelin | Daughter-in-law: a son’s or younger brother’s wife |
| Kuyov | Son-in-law: a daughter’s or younger sister’s husband |
| Qaynog‘a | Spouse’s elder brother |
| Qaynsingil | Spouse’s younger sister |
| Pochcha | Elder sister’s husband |
| Kelinoyi | Elder brother’s wife |
| Quda | The two sets of parents-in-law to each other |
Shajara fills these words in by itself: every card on the tree says how the person is related to you, and on which side — “father’s side” or “wife’s side”.
Why it matters for a family tree
When elders talk about relatives they say “tog‘am”, “xolamning o‘g‘li” — and those words alone tell you which side the person is from. Write the tree in another language and that information is lost. That is why Shajara can switch languages: one tree, with the names in Uzbek, Russian or English.
