Family Words in Darija: Mother, Father, In-Laws and More

Short answer: in Moroccan Darija, "my mother" is mmi and "my father" is bba; the more respectful forms are l-walida and l-walid. "My brother" is khoya, "my sister" khti, "my son" weldi, "my daughter" benti, "my husband" rajli and "my wife" mrati. Uncles and aunts depend on which side of the family they are on: 3emmi and 3emmti on the father's side, khali and khalti on the mother's side.

Family comes up very quickly in Moroccan conversations. After salam and labas, people ask about your parents, your children, whether you are married. If you have a Moroccan partner, you will hear these words at every family lunch. Here they are, with the small grammar point that makes them work and dialogues you can use straight away.

The close family

One thing to know first: Moroccans almost never say "mother", "father", "brother" or "sister" on their own. They say "my mother", "your brother", "his sister". So the forms you need most are the ones with "my" already attached.

L-walida and l-walid literally mean "the mother" and "the father", but in context they mean "my mother" or "your mother" and sound warmer and more polite than mmi and bba. Many adults use them when they talk about their parents to other people: l-walida dyali ("my mother"), kif dayra l-walida? ("how is your mother?").

Drari is the everyday word for "kids". You will also hear it among friends, a bit like "guys". L-wlad means "boys" or "sons", and also "children" in general: wladi is "my children".

Husband, wife and marriage

Rajel is "man" and mra is "woman": rajli is literally "my man" and mrati "my woman", and that is simply how Moroccans say "my husband" and "my wife". It is not too familiar.

To ask a man if he is married: wach nta mzewwej? To a woman: wach nti mzewwja? The polite way to say no is mazal ("not yet"), which keeps the answer light.

Grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins

Darija, like other forms of Arabic, has two sets of uncles and aunts: the father's siblings and the mother's siblings. English "uncle" covers both; Darija does not.

There is no single word for "cousin". You say "son of my uncle", "daughter of my aunt", and the word tells everyone exactly which side of the family the cousin is on:

• weld 3emmi — my cousin (son of my father's brother)
• bent 3emmi — my cousin (daughter of my father's brother)
• weld khalti — my cousin (son of my mother's sister)
• bent khali — my cousin (daughter of my mother's brother)

You can build all the others the same way: weld or bent + 3emmi, 3emmti, khali or khalti.

In-laws and step-family

Nsibi ("my in-law") is used for a brother-in-law or a son-in-law, and n-nsab is the whole family you married into.

How you address your parents-in-law is a different question. Habits vary a lot from one family to another: some people use the same words as for their own parents, others use respectful titles. If you have a Moroccan partner, ask what they say at home and copy it. Your in-laws will notice the effort far more than any small mistake.

Adding "my", "your", "his": the possessive endings

Family words take the same endings as other nouns. Here is weld (son) as a model:

Khoya (my brother) ends in a vowel, so the endings are slightly shorter: khoya, khok (your brother), khoh (his brother), khoha (her brother), khona (our brother).

For a longer phrase, dyal ("of") does the same job: l-famila dyali ("my family"), d-dar dyal khalti ("my aunt's house").

Short dialogues

Meeting someone's family

Your friend: Hada khoya, o hadi l-walida. (This is my brother, and this is my mother.)

You: Salam, mtcharfin. (Hello, nice to meet you.)

The mother: Mtcharfin, merhba bik. (Nice to meet you, welcome.)

Talking about brothers and sisters

A: Ch7al d l-khout 3endek? (How many brothers and sisters do you have?)

B: 3endi tlata d l-khout: jouj d l-wlad o bent. (I have three siblings: two boys and a girl.)

Married, with kids

A: Wach nti mzewwja? (Are you married?)

B: Iyeh, l-7amdoulillah. 3endi jouj drari: weld o bent. (Yes, thank God. I have two kids: a boy and a girl.)

A: Llah y7fedhom. (May God protect them.)

Asking after someone's parents

A: Kif dayrin l-walidin? (How are your parents?)

B: Labas, l-7amdoulillah. (Fine, thank God.)

A family blessing you will hear every day

Llah yr7em l-walidin (الله يرحم الوالدين) means "may God have mercy on (your) parents". Moroccans use it to ask a favour kindly or to thank someone: 3afak, Llah yr7em l-walidin… sounds like a very warm "please, I'd be so grateful". It is one of the clearest signs of how central parents are in everyday speech. For the other small polite words, see please, thank you, yes and no in Darija.

Small tips for family conversations

• Answer with a blessing. When someone mentions their children, Llah y7fedhom ("may God protect them") is the natural reply.
• Keep it positive. As with greetings, a short warm answer is expected. Questions about family come right after salam and labas: see Moroccan Darija greetings.
• Expect an invitation. Family talk often ends with tea at someone's home. Our guide to Moroccan mint tea etiquette explains what happens next.
• Numbers help. "Two kids", "three sisters": counting is part of every family conversation. Revise them with numbers in Darija.

Quick practice

Say each answer out loud before you check it.

1. Introduce your sister: "This is my sister."
2. Ask a man: "Are you married?"
3. Your mother's brother is your…?
4. Someone tells you about their new baby. What do you say?

Answers: 1. hadi khti. 2. wach nta mzewwej? 3. khali. 4. Llah y7fedo (for one child; y7fedhom for several).

Your next step

Family words are easy to memorise and hard to pronounce: 3emmi, jeddti and Llah yr7em all contain sounds that English does not have. If you want to learn Moroccan Darija step by step on video, the course covers these sounds and the sentences you need to talk about the people in your life.