मौसी (mausii)
noun
Primarily a kinship term for one's mother's sister (maternal aunt); also used as a warm or respectful term of address for an older woman who is not a blood relative.
Sense
1
:
maternal aunt (mother's sister)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: मामी (maamii, different relation: maternal uncle's wife, not interchangeable), चाची (chaachii, different relation: paternal uncle's wife, not interchangeable)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Indian families track maternal versus paternal sides very precisely, so मौसी (mausii) always signals 'my mom's sister' specifically, unlike the catch-all English 'aunt.' Children often address any close family friend of their mother's generation as मौसी (mausii) too, which shows how kinship terms extend outward to build closeness with non-relatives.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use मौसी (mausii) as a blanket word for 'aunt,' but Hindi kinship terms are specific: मौसी (mausii) is only mother's sister, while चाची (chaachii), मामी (maamii), and बुआ (buaa) mark other distinct relations -- swapping them is a real error, not just a style choice.
Sample Sentences:
मेरी मौसी दिल्ली में रहती हैं।
My aunt (mother's sister) lives in Delhi.
(merii mausii dillii men rahtii hain।)
कल मौसी घर आई थीं।
Yesterday my aunt (mother's sister) came home.
(kal mausii ghar aaii thiin।)
मौसी इस वक्त रसोई में खाना बना रही हैं।
My aunt (mother's sister) is cooking in the kitchen right now.
(mausii is vakt rasoii men khaanaa banaa rahii hain।)
अगली गर्मियों में मौसी हमारे साथ रहेंगी।
Next summer, my aunt (mother's sister) will stay with us.
(aglii garmiyon men mausii hamaare saath rahengii।)
मौसी, ज़रा यह सामान अंदर रख दीजिए।
Auntie, please put these things inside.
(mausii, zaraa yah saamaan andar rakh diijie।)
काश मौसी भी शादी में आ पातीं।
I wish my aunt (mother's sister) could have come to the wedding too.
(kaash mausii bhii shaadii men aa paatiin।)
अगर मौसी पास में रहती तो हम हर हफ्ते मिलते।
If my aunt (mother's sister) lived nearby, we would meet every week.
(agar mausii paas men rahtii to ham har haphte milte।)
हो सकता है मौसी इस बार रक्षाबंधन पर आएँ।
It's possible that my aunt (mother's sister) will come for Raksha Bandhan this time.
(ho saktaa hai mausii is baar rakshaabandhan par aaen।)
मौसी के घर हर साल गर्मियों की छुट्टियाँ बड़े मज़े से बीतती थीं।
Every year, the summer holidays used to pass very happily at my aunt's (mother's sister's) house.
(mausii ke ghar har saal garmiyon kii chhuttiyaan bade maze se biittii thiin।)
मौसी द्वारा भेजी गई मिठाई सबको बहुत पसंद आई।
The sweets sent by my aunt (mother's sister) were liked by everyone.
(mausii dvaaraa bhejii gaii mithaaii sabko bahut pasand aaii।)
मौसी अपनी बहन यानी मेरी माँ से रोज़ फोन पर बात करती हैं।
My aunt (mother's sister) talks to her sister, that is my mother, on the phone every day.
(mausii apnii bahan yaanii merii maan se roz phon par baat kartii hain।)
Sense
2
:
affectionate/respectful address for an older, unrelated woman
noun, feminine
Synonyms: आंटी (aantii, informal, English loanword, common in urban settings)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Calling a family friend, a neighbor's mother, or even a household helper's mother मौसी (mausii) is a common way of folding a stranger into the family circle -- it's warmer and more personal than the borrowed आंटी (aantii), which many Delhi households now use instead, especially with children.
Sample Sentences:
मौसी, ज़रा चाय बना दो ना।
Auntie, please make some tea, will you?
(mausii, zaraa chaay banaa do naa।)
मौसी, आप कैसी हैं? बहुत दिनों बाद दिखीं।
Auntie, how are you? I haven't seen you in ages.
(mausii, aap kaisii hain? bahut dinon baad dikhiin।)
बगल वाली मौसी हमेशा बच्चों को मिठाई देती हैं।
The auntie next door always gives the kids sweets.
(bagal vaalii mausii hameshaa bachchon ko mithaaii detii hain।)
काम वाली मौसी आज नहीं आईं।
The house-help auntie didn't come today.
(kaam vaalii mausii aaj nahiin aaiin।)
अगर मौसी घर पर होती, तो हमें अच्छा खाना मिलता।
If auntie had been home, we would have gotten good food.
(agar mausii ghar par hotii, to hamen achchhaa khaanaa miltaa।)
मुझे उम्मीद है कि मौसी कल की पार्टी में ज़रूर आएँगी।
I hope auntie will definitely come to tomorrow's party.
(mujhe ummiid hai ki mausii kal kii paartii men zaroor aaengii।)
बच्चे उस बुज़ुर्ग महिला को प्यार से मौसी बुलाते हैं, हालाँकि उनका कोई खून का रिश्ता नहीं है।
The children affectionately call that elderly woman auntie, even though they have no blood relation.
(bachche us buzurg mahilaa ko pyaar se mausii bulaate hain, haalaanki unkaa koii khoon kaa rishtaa nahiin hai।)
पड़ोस की मौसी को हर किसी के परिवार में इज़्ज़त से रखा जाता है।
The neighborhood auntie is treated with respect in everyone's family.
(pados kii mausii ko har kisii ke parivaar men izzat se rakhaa jaataa hai।)
मौसी, आपने इतनी मेहनत से खाना बनाया, दिल खुश हो गया।
Auntie, you made the food with such care, it made my heart happy.
(mausii, aapne itnii mehnat se khaanaa banaayaa, dil khush ho gayaa।)
इस मौसी को पूरा मोहल्ला जानता है, हर किसी की बात सुनती हैं।
This auntie is known to the whole neighborhood; she listens to everyone's troubles.
(is mausii ko pooraa mohallaa jaantaa hai, har kisii kii baat suntii hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
मौसी
(mausii)
(sg.f.oblique):
मौसी
(mausii)
(pl.f.direct):
मौसियाँ
(mausiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
मौसियों
(mausiyon)