“My cousin brother” or “my cousin”?
Say “my cousin”. English uses one word for the children of all your aunts and uncles, male or female. If it matters, the name or pronoun shows it: “my cousin Rohan… he”.
He is my cousin brother.
He's my cousin.
Why Hindi speakers say it
Hindi has separate words for each kind of cousin (चचेरा, ममेरा, फुफेरा, मौसेरा) and all of them come with भाई or बहन. So “cousin brother” feels precise. English has just cousin, with no gender and no side of the family, so brother adds nothing and sounds odd.
Three more examples
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| She is my cousin sister. | She's my cousin. |
| My cousin brother from my mother's side. | My cousin on my mother's side. |
| This is my real brother. | This is my brother. |
Quick self-check
Answer in your head, then open the answer.
Choose the natural introduction.
- Meet Anjali, my cousin sister.
- Meet Anjali, my cousin.
- Meet Anjali, my sister cousin.
Show answer
b) Meet Anjali, my cousin. Cousin covers male and female.
How do you say which side of the family?
- My father-side cousin
- My cousin on my father's side
- My paternal brother cousin
Show answer
b) My cousin on my father's side “On my father’s/mother’s side” is the usual phrase.
“My uncle’s son” in one word:
- cousin
- nephew
- brother-in-law
Show answer
a) cousin Your aunt’s or uncle’s child is your cousin.
Practise it out loud
Knowing the rule is not the same as saying it right under pressure. In WordSlick you practise sentences like these out loud with AskSlick, the AI tutor, and get corrections explained in Hindi. Mistakes you keep making come back in later sessions until they stop.
Questions
How do I say a cousin is male or female?
Usually the name or pronoun is enough: “my cousin Priya… she”. If you need to be explicit, say “my male cousin” or “my female cousin”.
What is the difference between cousin and nephew?
Your cousin is your aunt’s or uncle’s child. Your nephew is your brother’s or sister’s son; a niece is their daughter.