The Serbian language is one of the richest languages regarding kinship terminology. The Serbs are family oriented and employ many terms whose equivalents can not 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 until the 20th century.
Direct descendance and ancestry
Serbian (Cyrilic/Latin)
Transliteration
Relation
English translation
чукунунука / čukununuka
chew-coon-ooh-nukah
5th female descendant
grand-grand-grand-daughter
чукунунук / čukununuk
chew-coon-ooh-nuke
5th male descendant
grand-grand-grand-son
праунука / praunuka
prah-ooh-nukah
4th female descendant
grand-grand-daughter
праунук / praunuk
prah-ooh-nuke
4th male descendant
grand-grand-son
унука / unuka
ooh-nukah
grand-daughter
grand-daughter
унук / unuk
ooh-nuke
grand-son
grand-son
ћерка / ćerka
cher-kah
daughter
daughter
син / sin
seen
son
son
мајка / majka
my-kah
mother
mother
отац / otac
oh-tatz
father
father
баба / baba
bah-bah
grandmother
grandmother
д(ј)ед / d(j)ed
dead/dyead
grandfather
grandfather
прабаба / prababa
prah-bah-bah
great-grandmother
great-grandmother
прадјед / prad(j)ed
prah-dead/prah-dyed
great-grandfather
great-grandfather
прапрабаба / praprababa
prah-prah-bah-bah
4th female ancestor
great-great-grandmother
прапрад(ј)ед / praprad(j)ed
prah-prah-dead/prah-dyed
4th male ancestor
great-great-grandfather
чукунбаба / čukunbaba
chew-coon-bah-bah
5th female ancestor
great-great-great-grandmother
чукунд(ј)ед / čukund(j)ed
chew-coon-dead/dyed
5th male ancestor
great-great-great-grandfather
наврнбаба / navrnbaba
nah-vern-bah-bah
6th female ancestor
great-great-great-grandmother
наврнд(ј)ед / navrnd(j)ed
nah-vern-dead/dyed
6th male ancestor
great-great-great-grandfather
aскунђел / askundjel
ask-oon-dyel
7th male ancestor
great-great-great-great-grandfather
кунђел / kundjel
koon-dyel
8th male ancestor
great-great-great-great-great-grandfather
курлебало / kurlebalo
koor-leah-ball-oh
9th male ancestor
great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather
сукурдов / sukurdov
soo-coor-dow
10th male ancestor
great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather
The latter four are indigenous to the Šumadija, where the пра-прабаба/деда does not exist and the 3rd female/male ancestors are чукунбаба/деда
Direct siblingry relation
Serbian (Cyrilic / Latin)
Transliteration
English translation
брат / brat
braht
brother
сестра / sestra
seh-strah
sister
Indirect ancestry, descendance and legal relation
Serbian (Cyrilic / Latin)
Transliteration
Relation
English translation
стриц / stric
streets
father's brother
uncle
стрина / strina
stree-nah
father's brother wife
aunt
ујак / ujak
oo-yak
mother's brother
uncle
ујна / ujna
ooy-nah
mother's brother's wife
aunt
тетка / tetka
tet-kah
father's/mother's sister
aunt
тетак / tetak
teh-tak
father's/mother's sister's husband
uncle
братанац / bratanac
brother's son (for women)
nephew
синовац / sinovac
brother's son (for men)
nephew
братаница / bratanica
brother's daughter
niece
сестрић / sestrić
sister's son
nephew
сестричина / sestričina
sister's daughter
niece
Legal kinship
Serbian (Cyrilic / Latin)
Transliteration
Relation
English translation
свекар / svekar
sve-KAR
wife's father-in-law
father-in-law
свекрва / svekrva
sve-KRVA
wife's mother-in-law
mother-in-law
таст / tast
TAh-st
husband's father-in-law
father-in-law
ташта / tašta
TAh-shta
husband's mother-in-law
mother-in-law
зет / zet
zet
son-in-law
son-in-law
снаха / snaha
snah-hah
daughter-in-law
daughter-in-law
шурак / šurak
shoo-RAK
wife's brother
brother-in-law
шурњаја / šurnjaja
shoor-NYA-yah
wife's brother's wife
sister-in-law
свастика / svastika
svah-stee-kah
wife's sister
sister-in-law
сваст / svast
svah-st
wife's sister's husband
свастић / svastić
wife's sister's son
свастичина / svastičina
wife's sister's daughter
д(ј)евер / d(j)ever
deh-ver/dye-ver
husband's brother
brother-in-law
заова / zaova
zaoh-vah
husband's sister
sister-in-law
пашеног / pašenog
pah-sheh-nog
husband of wife's sister
јетрва / jetrva
yeah-trva
wife of husband's brother