This article Hindi word of the day: Chacha explains what this word means as well as a cool (IMO) and unique feature of the Hindi language while also being rooted in Hindi culture.
Whoa! That’s a lot for 1 word. Let’s dive in!
Chacha means Uncle. But not just Uncle. It has two more meanings:
- Dad’s brother
- Dad’s younger brother
We’ve heard of 2-for-1 specials but this is a 3-for-1 special! There are 3 meanings inside of this 1 word! Pretty cool, if you ask me.
Many Hindi words have more than 1 meaning inside of them. In fact the titles for family and relatives all have multiple meanings.
Let’s look at mother’s sister and father’s sister.
Mother’s sister is “Maasee jee” or for informal just Masee.
2 meanings: Aunt + Mother’s sister
Father’s sister is “Bua jee” or for informal, just Bua.
2 meanings: Aunt + Father’s sister
Now you might be wondering are Bua and Masi younger or older? Now this is where Indian culture kicks in. Like many Eastern cultures, Indian culture is male-oriented. The distinction of age, in these titles, is only made for father’s brothers. None of the other titles indicate age.
What About Dad’s Older Brother?
Our Hindi word of the day is Chacha. And we know that means dad’s younger brother. So what is dad’s older brother called? Thoujee.
What About When There’s
A lot of Brothers?
In my own family my dad is the eldest and he had 4 younger brothers. So I do not have a Tauji but I had many Chacha’s. And I called each of them Chacha. In other words there is no additional words for 2nd eldest brother, 3rd eldest brother etc.
Titles For Relatives
and Their Spouses
In the images below you can see the many different relations and their titles. Again, dad’s elder brother is thoujee, and his wife is thyjee.
We know that Chachajee is dad’s younger brother and his wife is Chacheejee. We learned that dad’s sister is Buajee. Her husband is Fufajee. We also learned that mom’s sister is Maseejee and her husband is Maasajee. And mom’s brother is Maamajee and his wife is Maameejee.
In English we use the words “aunt” and “uncle” but that does not communicate whether that person is on the maternal or paternal side of the family. Whereas in Hindi the single word communicates that information.
Summary
The Hindi word of the day: Chacha explains what this word means, and how there is so many meanings inside 1 word – so much information is communicated in a single word.
This is a common feature of Hindi especially, with regards to titles for relatives.
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Have you ever watched a Bollywood movie and everyone else was laughing and…you didn’t understand the joke? Or maybe your grandparents speak to you in Hindi…and your response is a sweet smile and “theek hain” to everything?
That was me too.
Growing up in Orange County, California, I understood Hindi long before I confidently spoke it. But over time, I became curious. Friday nights became “Hindi movie nights” with my mom — parathas, Bollywood movies, and LOTS of questions.
Eventually, I started speaking more Hindi at home.
One of my favorite memories was visiting family in Delhi when my Chachi said: Tumhari Hindi bahut achi hai.
That was a moment for me.
I started Virtual PreSkool to make learning Hindi accessible to children and adults residing outside India. To build confidence speaking Hindi and feel more connected to their family, culture, and heritage.
One of the best parts of teaching is hearing students excitedly share:
- “My Nani cried when I said “pranam”!
- “When we were in India my dad didn’t know how to ask for directions, but I did!”
After graduating from UC Irvine and earning my MBA from USC Marshall, I spent years as an entrepreneur before creating Virtual PreSkool.
When I’m not teaching Hindi, I’m usually exercising, cooking vegan meals, or planning my next trip. I look forward to seeing you in class!
