# Family in Esperanto: mother, father and all relatives

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/family/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-11

> Mother is patrino, father patro, parents gepatroj: every Esperanto family word from grandparents to in-laws, with pronunciation and questions to ask.

"Family" in Esperanto is ***familio***, "mother" is ***patrino***, "father" is ***patro*** and "parents" is ***gepatroj***. Most relatives follow one pattern: the root names a man (*frato* "brother"), the suffix *-in-* makes it female (*fratino* "sister"), and the prefix *ge-* names both together (*gefratoj* "brothers and sisters"). Pronunciation guides split words into syllables, with the stressed syllable in capitals.

## How family words are built

| Word part | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| root + *-o* | male relative | *frato* | brother |
| *-in-* | female | *fratino* | sister |
| *ge-* | both sexes together | *gefratoj* | brothers and sisters |
| *bo-* | related by marriage | *bofrato* | brother-in-law |
| *vic-*, *duon-* | step-, half- | *vicfrato*, *duonfrato* | stepbrother, half-brother |
| *pra-* | one generation further | *praavo* | great-grandfather |
| *-ĉj-*, *-nj-* | pet name, male / female | *fraĉjo*, *franjo* | bro, sis |

These are ordinary [prefixes](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/prefixes/) and [suffixes](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/suffixes/); see [word building](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/word-building/) for the general rules.

## Relatives by generation

### Grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| grandfather | *avo* | A-vo |
| grandmother | *avino* | a-VI-no |
| grandparents | *geavoj* | ge-A-voj |
| father | *patro* | PA-tro |
| mother | *patrino* | pa-TRI-no |
| parents | *gepatroj* | ge-PA-troj |
| uncle | *onklo* | ON-klo |
| aunt | *onklino* | on-KLI-no |
| uncles and aunts | *geonkloj* | ge-ON-kloj |

ReVo defines *onklo* as a brother or brother-in-law (*bofrato*) of a parent.

### Your own generation

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| brother | *frato* | FRA-to |
| sister | *fratino* | fra-TI-no |
| brothers and sisters | *gefratoj* | ge-FRA-toj |
| male cousin | *kuzo* | KU-zo |
| female cousin | *kuzino* | ku-ZI-no |
| cousins | *gekuzoj* | ge-KU-zoj |
| husband | *edzo* | ED-zo |
| wife | *edzino* | ed-ZI-no |
| married couple | *geedzoj* | ge-ED-zoj |

Esperanto has no separate words for "older" or "younger" siblings. PMEG says to add the adjective when needed: *pli aĝa fratino* "older sister", *malpli aĝa frato* "younger brother".

### Children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| son | *filo* | FI-lo |
| daughter | *filino* | fi-LI-no |
| sons and daughters | *gefiloj* | ge-FI-loj |
| child | *infano* | in-FA-no |
| twin | *ĝemelo* | ĝe-ME-lo |
| nephew | *nevo* | NE-vo |
| niece | *nevino* | ne-VI-no |
| nephews and nieces | *genevoj* | ge-NE-voj |
| grandson | *nepo* | NE-po |
| granddaughter | *nepino* | ne-PI-no |
| grandchildren | *genepoj* | ge-NE-poj |

*Infano* is neutral and has two meanings in ReVo: a young person up to about 12, and a person's child of any age. *Nevo* is the child of your brother or sister, and differs by one letter from *nepo* "grandson".

### Other words for people in a family

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| relative | *parenco* | pa-REN-co |
| family member | *familiano* | fa-mi-li-A-no |
| orphan | *orfo* | OR-fo |
| fiancé / fiancée | *fianĉo / fianĉino* | fi-AN-ĉo / fi-an-ĈI-no |
| widower / widow | *vidvo / vidvino* | VID-vo / vid-VI-no |

To marry is *edziĝi* (ReVo: to become a husband, or a spouse), *edziniĝi* (to become a wife) and *geedziĝi* (to become a married couple).

## In-laws: the prefix bo-

*Bo-* marks a relative by marriage. It appears mainly in three roots and their *-in-* forms: *bopatro, bofilo* and *bofrato*.

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| father-in-law | *bopatro* | bo-PA-tro |
| mother-in-law | *bopatrino* | bo-pa-TRI-no |
| parents-in-law | *bogepatroj* | bo-ge-PA-troj |
| son-in-law | *bofilo* | bo-FI-lo |
| daughter-in-law | *bofilino* | bo-fi-LI-no |
| brother-in-law | *bofrato* | bo-FRA-to |
| sister-in-law | *bofratino* | bo-fra-TI-no |

PMEG says *bofrato* covers your spouse's brother, your sibling's husband and the husband of your spouse's sister. For other relatives by marriage (uncle, cousin, nephew) speakers normally use the simple words without *bo-*.

## Step- and half-relatives: vic- and duon-

PMEG recommends *vic-* for relatives created by a parent's remarriage, and *duon-* only for true half-relatives who share one parent.

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| stepfather | *vicpatro* | vic-PA-tro |
| stepmother | *vicpatrino* | vic-pa-TRI-no |
| stepson | *vicfilo* | vic-FI-lo |
| stepbrother | *vicfrato* | vic-FRA-to |
| half-brother | *duonfrato* | du-on-FRA-to |
| half-sister | *duonfratino* | du-on-fra-TI-no |

## Great-grandparents and ancestors: pra-

*Pra-* moves a relative one generation further away, back in time or forward. Repeat it once for each extra generation.

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| great-grandfather | *praavo* | pra-A-vo |
| great-grandmother | *praavino* | pra-a-VI-no |
| great-great-grandfather | *prapraavo* | pra-pra-A-vo |
| great-uncle | *praonklo* | pra-ON-klo |
| great-grandson | *pranepo* | pra-NE-po |
| ancestors | *prapatroj* | pra-PA-troj |

## Pet names: -ĉj- and -nj-

The suffix *-ĉj-* makes affectionate male names and *-nj-* female ones. You keep the first few letters of the root and cut the rest: *paĉjo* comes from *patro*, *panjo* from *patrino*, *onjo* from *onklino*.

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| dad | *paĉjo* | PAĈ-jo |
| mum, mom | *panjo* | PAN-jo |
| grandpa | *avoĉjo* | a-VOĈ-jo |
| grandma | *avinjo* | a-VIN-jo |
| uncle | *oĉjo* | OĈ-jo |
| auntie | *onjo* | ON-jo |
| brother | *fraĉjo* | FRAĈ-jo |
| sister | *franjo* | FRAN-jo |

The same endings make pet names from first names: *Johano* → *Joĉjo*, *Mario* → *Manjo*.

## Offspring: the suffix -id-

The suffix *-id-* means offspring: *hundo* "dog" → *hundido* "puppy". With people, PMEG says it shows a child or descendant of any age and goes mostly with titles and historic names: *reĝido* "child of a king". For ordinary families you say *filo, filino* or *infano*. The noun *idaro* means all the descendants of one person.

## Male roots, female forms and neutral words

PMEG lists *avo, edzo, fianĉo, filo, frato, kuzo, nepo, nevo, onklo, patro* and *vidvo* as male roots, so the female word needs *-in-*. The family words *infano, parenco, familiano* and *orfo* are neutral. Traditionally Esperanto has no way to name a parent, sibling or spouse without stating the person's sex. PMEG describes three solutions, none of them part of the official language:

- **Singular *ge*-words**: *gepatro, gefrato, geedzo*. PMEG (2024) says this use has grown over the last 20 to 30 years; ReVo marks singular *gepatro* as rare and notes that not all speakers accept it.
- **New roots** such as *parento* for "parent" and *spozo* for "spouse"; ReVo marks both as rare.
- **Giving *patro* or *edzo* a neutral meaning**, which PMEG warns can cause serious misunderstandings.

## Asking about family

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| *Ĉu vi havas gefratojn?* | Do you have any brothers or sisters? |
| *Kiom da gefratoj vi havas?* | How many brothers and sisters do you have? |
| *Ĉu vi havas infanojn?* | Do you have children? |
| *Kiom da infanoj vi havas?* | How many children do you have? |
| *Kiom da jaroj havas via filino?* | How old is your daughter? |
| *Ĉu viaj gepatroj loĝas proksime?* | Do your parents live nearby? |

Typical answers:

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| *Mi havas fraton kaj du fratinojn.* | I have one brother and two sisters. |
| *Mi ne havas gefratojn.* | I have no brothers or sisters. |
| *Mi havas du infanojn: filon kaj filinon.* | I have two children: a son and a daughter. |

PMEG notes that *gefratoj* also works when you do not know whether the person has brothers, sisters or both. Watch the endings: *havas gefratojn* takes plural *-j* and the [accusative *-n*](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/accusative/). More question words are on the [questions and negation](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/questions-negation/) page.

## A short description of a family

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| *Mi nomiĝas Anna, kaj mi havas grandan familion.* | My name is Anna, and I have a big family. |
| *Mia patrino, Maria, ŝatas legi librojn.* | My mother, Maria, likes reading books. |
| *Mi havas unu fraton kaj du fratinojn.* | I have one brother and two sisters. |
| *Mia frato Paŭlo havas ok jarojn.* | My brother Paŭlo is eight years old. |
| *Miaj geavoj loĝas apud la maro.* | My grandparents live by the sea. |
| *Ni vizitas ilin ĉiun someron.* | We visit them every summer. |
| *Mi tre amas mian familion.* | I love my family very much. |

In some families Esperanto is the language of the home; read about [native speakers of Esperanto](https://esperantopedia.org/about/native-speakers/).

## Common questions

### How do you say "mother" in Esperanto?

*Patrino*, which is *patro* "father" plus *-in-* "female". Children often say *panjo* ("mum"), and "dad" is *paĉjo*.

### How do you say "family" and "relatives" in Esperanto?

The family is *familio*, a family member is *familiano* and a relative is *parenco*.

### How do you say "parents" in Esperanto?

*Gepatroj*: the root *patro* with *ge-* "both sexes". A single parent is *patro* (father) or *patrino* (mother).

### How do you say "mother-in-law" and "brother-in-law"?

*Bopatrino* and *bofrato*. "Parents-in-law" is *bogepatroj*.

### Is there a gender-neutral word for "parent" or "sibling"?

Not in the traditional language. Some speakers use singular *gepatro* and *gefrato*, others propose new roots such as *parento*; PMEG treats these as unofficial.

## Sources

- [PMEG: Parencoj kaj familianoj](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/aldonoj/parencoj_familianoj.html)
- [PMEG: Seksa signifo de O-vortoj](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/o-vortoj/seksa_signifo.html)
- [PMEG: IN](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/in.html), [GE](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/prefiksoj/ge.html), [BO](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/prefiksoj/bo.html), [PRA](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/prefiksoj/pra.html)
- [PMEG: ID](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/id.html), [ĈJ](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/chj.html), [NJ](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/nj.html)
- [PMEG: Radikoj uzataj prefiksece (DUON, VIC)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/afiksecaj_elementoj/radikoj_kunmetajhoj.html)
- [ReVo: patro, patrino, gepatroj](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/patr.html), [frato](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/frat.html), [filo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/fil.html), [avo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/av.html)
- [ReVo: onklo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/onkl.html), [kuzo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kuz.html), [nevo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/nev.html), [nepo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/nep.html)
- [ReVo: edzo, edziĝi, geedzoj](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/edz.html), [fianĉo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/fiancx.html), [vidvo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/vidv.html)
- [ReVo: infano](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/infan.html), [familio](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/famili.html), [parenco](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/parenc.html), [ĝemelo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/gxemel.html), [orfo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/orf.html), [-id-](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/id.html)