Basic kinship terms in Rohingya
In this lesson we will look at Rohingya words and expressions related to family relations. Present your family with sentences like: Iba รฃrar fuwa. Hitar nam Tim. “This is our son. His name is Tim.”
Before we start, it is helpful to learn how a simple sentence, like “This is my father,” is structured in Rohingya. Every language has a system, in which there are certain structures and rules that help the hearer know who or what the speaker is talking about. The Rohingya language is no exception.
Simple sentences without a verb
The predicate is part of the sentence that says something about the Subject. In the sentence Iba รฃrar zi “This (is) our daughter,” รฃrar zi “our daughter” is the Predicate and iba “this” is the Subject.
In Rohingya, it is very common to express the idea of ‘X is Y’ by simple juxtaposition. The normal pattern for sentences with non-verbal predicates is:
Subject (Linking Verb) Predicate.
The linking verbs oilde “be (PRES)” and aลกลกilde “be (PAST) is optional, as indicated by the brackets.
| Iba รฃrar zi. | "This is our daughter." |
| Hibar nam Anna. | "Her name is Anna." |
| Hibattu zamai ase. | "She has a husband." |
| Hitar nam Tim. | "His name is Tim." |
| Hitarattu duizon fuwain ase. | "They have two children" |
| Iba รฃrar fuwa. | "This is our son." |
| Hitar nam Bob. | "His name is Bob." |
| Hite ekkan. | "He is single." |
ma /mษ/– “mother”
fuwa /หfuสทส/ – “child, son”
แธรตr /ษรตษพ/ – “big”
ลกรตแนo /สรตษฝษ/ – “little, small”
boin /bษโฑn/ – “sister”
nati /หnษtสฐษช/ – “grand-son”
natini /nษtษชni/ – “grand-daughter”
morod fuwa /mษหษพษdfuสทส/ – “boy, male child”
zer fuwa /หzษษพfuสทส/ – “girl, female child”
duizon /หduโฑzษn/ – “two (NC1)“
ase /หษsษช/ – “have”
hor /hษr/ – “father-in-law”
hori /หhษrษช/ – “mother-in-law”
hor hori /หhษษพhษrษช/ – “parents-in-law”
sasa /หsษsส/ – “younger uncle (on father’s side)“
sasi /หsษsษช/ – “younger uncle’s wife”
jeแนa /หdอกสษษฝส/ – “older uncle (on father’s side)“
jeแนi /หdอกสษษฝษช/ – “older uncle’s wife”
fui /fuโฑ/ – “aunt (father’s sister)“
mลฉi /mลฉโฑ/ – “aunt (mother’s sister)“