Cousins in Shona
This Shona Language page shows how gender affects the way cousins are treated or described. By Shona convention, all children of my father's brothers and all children of my mother's sisters are regarded as my own brothers and sisters. The children of my father's sisters and the children of my mother's brothers are differently described. See the listing below.
Maternal cousins of a girl
|
English
|
Shona
|
| Daughter of mothers sister, if older |
mukoma - older sister |
| Daughter of mothers sister, if younger |
munun'una or munin'ina - younger sister |
| Son of mothers sister |
hanzvadzi - brother |
| Son of mothers brother |
sekuru - uncle |
| Daughter of mothers brother |
mainini or amainini - young mother |
Maternal cousins of a boy
|
English
|
Shona
|
| Son of mothers sister, if older |
mukoma - old brother |
| Son of mothers sister, if younger |
munun'una or munin'ina - young brother |
| Daughter of mothers sister |
hanzvadzi - sister |
| Son of mothers brother |
sekuru - uncle |
| Daughter of mothers brother |
mainini or amainini - young mother |
Paternal cousins of a girl
|
English
|
Shona
|
| Daughter of fathers brother, if younger |
mukoma - old sister |
| Daughter of fathers brother, if older |
munun'una or munin'ina - young sister |
| Sons of fathers brother |
hanzvadzi - brother |
| Son of fathers sister |
mwana - son |
| Daughter of fathers sister |
mwana - daughter |
Paternal cousins of a boy
|
English
|
Shona
|
| Son of fathers brother, if older |
mukoma - older brother |
| Son of fathers brother, if younger |
munun'una or mun'inina - younger brother |
| Daughter of fathers brother |
hanzvadzi - sister |
| Son of fathers sister |
muzukuru - nephew |
Submitting Shona Words
Help increase the Shona word list in the database for these Shona Language pages by submitting additional words I omitted and their meanings. Omissions may include instances where I did not cover all possible meanings of a word. In that case, treat the word as a new word and include all possible meanings for the word in question. Basic guide to submitting omitted words is on the
Add Words page.
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This is an ongoing project and any suggestions you have to improve information offered here would be greatly appreciated. E-mail any comments or suggestions you have to
Martin Shumba.