Family Words in Kurmanji: How to Talk About Your Family in Kurdish
Want to talk about your family in kurmanji (Kurdish)? This page brings together the essential words: father, mother, brother, sister, children, and family. Every phrase comes from recordings made by our teachers and is given with its English translation.
Whether you want to introduce a relative, answer a question about your family, or follow a simple conversation, the examples below will help you speak with confidence.
Family vocabulary
These are the most common terms you will need:
- bavê min: my father
- dayîka min: my mother
- birayê min: my brother
- xwişka min: my sister
- malbata min: my family
- zarokên min: my children
The expression xwişk û bira refers to siblings as a whole: brothers and sisters.
Introducing a family member
The recorded phrases follow the same pattern to point out a relative:
Click the button after a phrase to hear it spoken by a teacher.
- Ev bavê min e.: This is my father.
- Ev dayîka min e.: This is my mother.
- Ev birayê min e.: This is my brother.
- Ev xwişka min e.: This is my sister.
- Ev malbata min e.: Here is my family.
You can also chain two introductions together: Ev bavê min e. Û ev dayîka min e. means “This is my father. And this is my mother.”
Talking about children
To ask whether someone has children, or to answer that question:
- Tu zarokên xwe hene ?: Do you have children?
- Du zarokên min hene.: I have two children.
- Erê, du zarokên min hene.: Yes, I have two children.
Erê means “yes” and is used to confirm an answer. In the answer, zarokên min corresponds to “my children”; in the question Tu zarokên xwe hene ?, the children are those of the person you are speaking to.
Talking about siblings
To bring up the subject of brothers and sisters:
- Tu xwişk û bira hene ?: Do you have brothers and sisters?
- Em xwişk û bira ne.: We are brother and sister.
The phrase Em xwişk û bira ne. can follow an introduction to clarify your relationship with the person you are pointing out.
Ready-to-use sentences
Six complete phrases, recorded and translated:
- Ev malbata min e.: Here is my family.
- Ev bavê min e. Û ev dayîka min e.: This is my father. And this is my mother.
- Erê, ev birayê min e. Em xwişk û bira ne.: Yes, this is my brother. We are brother and sister.
- Tu zarokên xwe hene ?: Do you have children?
- Erê, du zarokên min hene.: Yes, I have two children.
- Mala bavê min li gundê me ye.: My father's house is in our village.
Mini-dialogue
This dialogue is composed of phrases recorded by our teachers:
- A: Tu xwişk û bira hene ? (Do you have brothers and sisters?)
- B: Erê, ev birayê min e. Em xwişk û bira ne. (Yes, this is my brother. We are brother and sister.)
A note on word endings
Our recordings include a useful note: the ending -a is used with a feminine noun. The example given is mala bavê min (my father's house), where -a appears because the word for “house” is feminine in Kurmanji.
FAQ
How do you say “this is my family” in Kurmanji?
The recorded phrase is Ev malbata min e., which translates as “This is my family.”
How do you ask “do you have children?” in Kurmanji?
The question is Tu zarokên xwe hene ? To answer positively, you can say Erê, du zarokên min hene. (Yes, I have two children.)
How do you say “we are brother and sister” in Kurmanji?
The phrase is Em xwişk û bira ne. You can place it after an introduction: Erê, ev birayê min e. Em xwişk û bira ne. (Yes, this is my brother. We are brother and sister.)
What is the difference between “zarokên min” and “zarokên xwe”?
zarokên min corresponds to “my children”, as in Du zarokên min hene. (I have two children.) In the question Tu zarokên xwe hene ? (Do you have children?), the children are those of the person you are speaking to.
Read also
Main menu
