भानजा (bhaanjaa)

noun A kinship noun meaning 'nephew' -- specifically the son of one's sister. Hindi kinship terms are precise about which side of the family and which sibling, so this word does not extend to a brother's son.
Sense 1 : sister's son (nephew)
noun, masculine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In Hindi (and across much of North India), the mother's side and father's side of the family have entirely separate vocabulary -- a nephew through your sister (भानजा, bhaanjaa) is conceptually distinct from a nephew through your brother (भतीजा, bhatiijaa), reflecting how much weight the kinship system puts on lineage. The same split shows up one generation up: मामा (maamaa, mother's brother) versus चाचा (chaachaa, father's brother) and their families are treated as different categories of relative, not interchangeable 'uncles'.
Common Mistakes: 1) English 'nephew' covers both a brother's son and a sister's son, but Hindi splits these: भानजा (bhaanjaa) is only the sister's son, while भतीजा (bhatiijaa) is the brother's son. Learners often default to भतीजा (bhatiijaa) for any nephew out of habit. 2) The feminine counterpart is भानजी (bhaanjii, sister's daughter), not a form of भानजा (bhaanjaa) itself -- these are two distinct words, not one word inflecting for gender.
Sample Sentences:
मेरा भानजा दिल्ली में रहता है। My nephew (sister's son) lives in Delhi.
(meraa bhaanjaa dillii men rahtaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल मेरा भानजा हमारे घर आया था। My nephew (sister's son) had come to our house yesterday.
(kal meraa bhaanjaa hamaare ghar aayaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उसका भानजा अगले महीने अमेरिका पढ़ने जाएगा। Her nephew (sister's son) will go to America next month to study.
(uskaa bhaanjaa agle mahiine amerikaa padhne jaaegaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अरे, अपने भानजे से मिलो, यह मेरी बहन का बेटा है। Hey, meet your nephew, this is my sister's son.
(are, apne bhaanje se milo, yah merii bahan kaa betaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मेरी बहन के घर बेटा होता, तो उसे भानजा कहा जाता। If my sister had had a son, he would have been called my nephew (sister's son).
(agar merii bahan ke ghar betaa hotaa, to use bhaanjaa kahaa jaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Passive
मुझे उम्मीद है कि मेरा भानजा इस बार परीक्षा में अच्छे अंक लाए। I hope my nephew (sister's son) scores good marks in the exam this time.
(mujhe ummiid hai ki meraa bhaanjaa is baar pariikshaa men achchhe ank laae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
शादी में उनका भानजा सबसे ज़्यादा नाच रहा था। Their nephew (sister's son) was dancing the most at the wedding.
(shaadii men unkaa bhaanjaa sabse zyaadaa naach rahaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
यह मेरे भानजे की शादी का निमंत्रण है, कृपया अवश्य आइएगा। This is the wedding invitation of my nephew (sister's son); please do come.
(yah mere bhaanje kii shaadii kaa nimantran hai, kripyaa avashy aaiegaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
भानजे को मामा से कई बार अपने पिता से ज़्यादा लगाव होता है। A nephew (sister's son) is often more attached to his maternal uncle than to his own father.
(bhaanje ko maamaa se kaii baar apne pitaa se zyaadaa lagaav hotaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने अपने भानजे को गोद में उठा लिया। She picked up her nephew (sister's son) in her arms.
(usne apne bhaanje ko god men uthaa liyaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): भानजा (bhaanjaa)
(sg.m.oblique): भानजे (bhaanje)
(pl.m.direct): भानजे (bhaanje)
(pl.m.oblique): भानजों (bhaanjon)