Serbian kinship
The
Serbian language is among the most rich in kinship terminology. The
Serbs being a family oriented people whose employ terms whose equivalents can seldom be found in any foreign language, including other closely related
Slavic languages. Some explain this by pointing to the fact that of all the
Slavs, the Serbs were the only ones to retain the original zadrugas (extended families) up to the 19th and 20th centuries.
Direct Descendance and Ancestry
| Relation | Serbian (with transliteration) | English translation |
| grand-daughter | УНУКА (ooh-nukah) | grand-daughter |
| grandson | УНУК (ooh-nuke) | grandson |
| daughter | ЋЕРКА (cher-kah) | daughter |
| son | СИН (seen) | son |
| mother | МАЈКА (my-kah) | mother |
| father | ОТАЦ (oh-tatz) | father |
| grandmother | БАБА (bah-bah) | grandmother |
| grandfather | Д(Ј)ЕД (dead/dyead) | grandfather |
| great-grandmother | ПРАБАБА (prah-bah-bah) | great-grandmother |
| great-grandfather | ПРАД(Ј)ЕД (prah-dead/prah-dyed) | great-grandfather |
| 4th female ancestor | ЧУКУНБАБА (chew-coon-bah-bah) | great-great-grandmother |
| 4th male ancestor | ЧУКУНД(Ј)ЕД (chew-coon-dead/dyed) | great-great-grandfather |
| 5th female ancestor | НАВРНБАБА (nah-vern-bah-bah) | great-great-great-grandmother |
| 5th male ancestor | НАВРНД(Ј)ЕД(nah-vern-dead/dyed) | great-great-great-grandfather |
Indirect Ancestry and Descendance and Legal Relation
| Relation | Serbian (with transliteration) | English translation |
| father's brother | СТРИЦ (streets) | uncle |
| father's brother wife | СТРИНА (stree-nah) | aunt |
| mother's brother | УЈАК (oo-yak) | uncle |
| mother's brother's wife | УЈНА (ooy-nah) | aunt |
| father's/mother's sister | ТЕТКА (tet-kah) | aunt |
| father's/mother's sister's husband | ТЕТАК (teh-tak) | uncle |
Direct Siblingry
| Relation | Serbian (with transliteration) | English translation |
| brother | БРАТ (braht) | brother |
| sister | СЕСТРА (seh-strah) | sister |
Legal kinship
| Relation | Serbian (with transliteration) | English translation |
| wife's father-in-law | СВЕКАР (sve-KAR) | father-in-law |
| wife's mother-in-law | СВЕКРВА (sve-KRVA) | mother-in-law |
| husband's father-in-law | ТАСТ (TAh-st) | father-in-law |
| husband's mother-in-law | ТАШТА (TAh-shta) | mother-in-law |
| son-in-law | ЗЕТ (zet) | son-in-law |
| daughter-in-law | СНАХА (snah-hah) | daughter-in-law |
| sister's husband | ЗЕТ (zet) | brother-in-law |
| brother's wife | СНАХА (snah-hah) | brother-in-law |
| wife's brother | ШУРАК (shoo-RAK) | brother-in-law |
| wife's brother's wife | ШУРЊАЈА (shoor-NYA-yah) | |
| wife's sister | СВАСТИКА (svah-stee-kah) | sister-in-law |
| wife's sister's husband | СВАСТ (svah-st) | |
| husband's brother | Д(Ј)ЕВЕР (deh-ver/dye-ver) | brother-in-law |
| husband's sister | ЗАОВА (zaoh-vah) | sister-in-law |
| husband of wife's sister | ПАШЕНОГ (pah-sheh-nog) | |
| wife of husband's brother | ЈЕТРВА (yeah-trva) | |