फूफा (phoophaa)

noun Refers to the husband of one's father's sister (paternal aunt's husband). Part of the standard Hindi kinship vocabulary, paired with फूफी (phoophii), the paternal aunt herself.
Sense 1 : husband of one's father's sister
noun, masculine
Synonyms: फूफाजी (phoophaajii, respectful form with -जी)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In most North Indian families, फूफा (phoophaa) occupies a warm, slightly informal role -- often the relative who teases the kids and brings sweets at festivals, since he married *into* the family rather than being born into it. The paired term is फूफी (phoophii) for his wife, your father's sister; together they show how Hindi kinship terms encode the exact family branch and relationship, unlike English's flatter 'uncle/aunt'.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use 'uncle' generically and miss that Hindi requires picking the exact kinship term -- फूफा (phoophaa) is specifically the husband of your पिता (pitaa)'s sister, not any uncle. 2) Do not confuse with मामा (maamaa) (mother's brother) or चाचा (chaachaa) (father's younger brother) -- these are all distinct, non-interchangeable relations in Hindi even though English collapses them all to 'uncle'.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे फूफा हर साल दिवाली पर मिठाई लाते हैं। My uncle (paternal aunt's husband) brings sweets every year on Diwali.
(mere phoophaa har saal divaalii par mithaaii laate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
फूफा जी कल शाम को हमारे घर आए थे। Uncle (my father's sister's husband) came to our house yesterday evening.
(phoophaa jii kal shaam ko hamaare ghar aae the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
फूफा जी, आप कब आ रहे हैं? Uncle, when are you coming?
(phoophaa jii, aap kab aa rahe hain?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर फूफा घर पर होते तो वे मेरी मदद करते। If my uncle had been home, he would have helped me.
(agar phoophaa ghar par hote to ve merii madad karte।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
फूफा, ज़रा दरवाज़ा खोल दीजिए। Uncle, please open the door.
(phoophaa, zaraa darvaazaa khol diijie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
शायद फूफा को यह बात पहले से पता हो। Perhaps uncle already knows about this matter.
(shaayad phoophaa ko yah baat pahle se pataa ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
फूफा हमेशा बच्चों को छेड़ते रहते हैं। Uncle is always teasing the kids.
(phoophaa hameshaa bachchon ko chhedte rahte hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शादी में फूफा और फूफी को सबसे आगे बैठाया गया। At the wedding, uncle and aunt were seated in the front row.
(shaadii men phoophaa aur phoophii ko sabse aage baithaayaa gayaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
फूफा अगले महीने विदेश से लौटेंगे। Uncle will return from abroad next month.
(phoophaa agle mahiine videsh se lautenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
फूफा बरामदे में बैठे हैं और चाय पी रहे हैं। Uncle is sitting on the veranda and drinking tea.
(phoophaa baraamde men baithe hain aur chaay pii rahe hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पापा की बहन की शादी के बाद वे मेरे फूफा बन गए। After my father's sister's wedding, he became my uncle.
(paapaa kii bahan kii shaadii ke baad ve mere phoophaa ban gae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): फूफा (phoophaa)
(sg.m.oblique): फूफा (phoophaa)
(pl.m.direct): फूफा (phoophaa)
(pl.m.oblique): फूफाओं (phoophaaon)