Family Words in Dutch
Dutch has two words for family that mean different things, and one word that covers cousin, nephew and niece at the same time. Both are explained at the end.
Parents and children
-
demoeder
MOO-dur
-
mother
mama or mam in everyday speech
-
devader
VAH-dur
-
father
papa or pap in everyday speech
-
deouders
OW-durs
-
parents
-
dedochter
DOKH-tur
-
daughter
-
dezoon
zohn
-
son
-
hetkind
kint
-
child
kinderen in the plural
Brothers, sisters and grandparents
-
dezus
zus
-
sister
zuster is the formal version
-
debroer
broor
-
brother
-
deoma
OH-mah
-
grandmother
grootmoeder is the formal word, rarely spoken
-
deopa
OH-pah
-
grandfather
-
hetkleinkind
KLAYN-kint
-
grandchild
The wider family
-
detante
TAN-tuh
-
aunt
-
deoom
ohm
-
uncle
-
deneef
nayf
-
cousin, nephew
One word for both. Context decides
-
denicht
nikht
-
cousin, niece
The female version, and equally ambiguous
-
devrouw
vrow
-
wife, woman
-
deman
man
-
husband, man
-
hetgezin
khuh-ZIN
-
immediate family
Gezin or familie, and the neef problem
Het gezin is the household: parents and their children. De familie is everyone else as well, the aunts and cousins and grandparents.
English collapses both into family, so Dutch speakers learning English lose a distinction, and English speakers learning Dutch have to build one. Asking about someone's gezin asks about their partner and kids.
Neef and nicht each carry two meanings, cousin and nephew or niece. Dutch simply does not distinguish them, and speakers add a phrase when it matters.
De and het are the two articles. There is no reliable rule, so learn het kind and de zus as whole units.
- Dit is mijn zus.This is my sister.
- Ik heb twee broers.I have two brothers.
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