Azizan
Persian words for grandparents, aunts and uncles (with pronunciation)
In Persian, grandparents are madar-bozorg (مادربزرگ, grandmother) and pedar-bozorg (پدربزرگ, grandfather), and aunts and uncles have separate words for your mother's side and your father's side: khaleh and dayi are your mother's sister and brother; amme and amu are your father's sister and brother. Families also use warm everyday forms, so the 'right' word for your child is often the one the grandparent already answers to. Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves reading Persian children's stories; this page is a plain-language word list for parents raising Persian-speaking children abroad.
Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.
Grandparents
| English | Persian | Say it like | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grandmother | مادربزرگ | mah-DAR bo-ZORG | The standard word, for either side of the family. |
| Grandmother (everyday) | مامان‌بزرگ | ma-MAN bo-ZORG | The warm, spoken form many families use. |
| Grandfather | پدربزرگ | pe-DAR bo-ZORG | The standard word, for either side. |
| Grandfather (everyday) | بابابزرگ | ba-ba bo-ZORG | The spoken form. |
| Grandchild | نوه | na-VEH | Used for a grandson or granddaughter. |
Many families also use their own pet names (for example ننه, ننه‌جون, بی‌بی or آقاجون in some families and regions). We do not claim one list fits every home: the word that matters is the one your child hears from the person who loves them.
Aunts and uncles: mother's side vs father's side
| Relative | Persian | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Mother's sister (maternal aunt) | خاله | khah-LEH |
| Mother's brother (maternal uncle) | دایی | dah-YEE |
| Father's sister (paternal aunt) | عمه | am-MEH |
| Father's brother (paternal uncle) | عمو | am-MOO |
English has just "aunt" and "uncle", so this is the part children raised abroad most often miss. Adding جون makes any of them affectionate: خاله‌جون, دایی‌جون, عمه‌جون, عمو‌جون. Children also commonly call close family friends خاله or عمو.
Cousins and aunts and uncles by marriage
- Cousins say which side they are from: دخترخاله / پسرخاله (your mother's sister's daughter / son), دخترعمو / پسرعمو (your father's brother's), دخترعمه / پسرعمه (your father's sister's), دختردایی / پسردایی (your mother's brother's).
- By marriage: زن‌عمو (wife of your father's brother), زن‌دایی (wife of your mother's brother), شوهرخاله (husband of your mother's sister), شوهرعمه (husband of your father's sister).
Teaching the words to a child abroad
- Put faces to words. Show a photo or a video call and say the word once: "این خاله‌ته", "این دایی‌ته".
- Use one word per person, always. Children learn a name faster when it does not change from day to day.
- Let the relatives say it themselves. A grandmother who says "منم مامان‌بزرگت" in her own voice teaches the word and the love together.
- Do not turn it into a test. A child who answers in English is still listening; keep the words warm and repeat them naturally.
Where Azizan fits in
On Azizan, an aunt, uncle or grandparent records themselves reading an illustrated Persian story, page by page, and it stays on the child's shelf. The child hears the family words in context: the reader's own face and voice, the kind of bedtime reading where "مامان‌بزرگ" or "خاله" is actually said to them. See how grandparents abroad record bedtime stories and how to teach Farsi to kids.
Related guides
Questions
What is grandmother in Persian?
The standard word is مادربزرگ (madar-bozorg). In everyday speech many families say مامان‌بزرگ (maman-bozorg), and some use other regional or family names such as ننه.
What is grandfather in Persian?
The standard word is پدربزرگ (pedar-bozorg); in everyday speech many families say بابابزرگ (baba-bozorg).
What is the difference between khaleh and amme?
Khaleh (خاله) is your mother's sister; amme (عمه) is your father's sister. Persian also separates the uncles: dayi (دایی) is your mother's brother and amu (عمو) is your father's brother.
Does Persian have one word for aunt and uncle like English?
No. Persian names which side of the family the person is on, so there are four basic words: khaleh, dayi, amme and amu.
Are these words the same in Afghan Persian (Dari) and Tajik?
The kinship system is similar across the Persian-speaking world, but spoken forms and pet names differ by country, region and family. This page uses the Persian of Iran; ask your own relatives which word they prefer.
How do I teach my child to call relatives by the right word?
Pair the word with the person: a photo or a video call, one fixed word per person, and the relatives saying it themselves. Recorded stories in a relative's voice let the child hear the word from that person every night.
Open Azizan — record a story for your childUpdated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard
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