You introduce your "father-side cousin who is older than me" and your new colleague just blinks. In English, that whole long phrase is one tiny word: cousin. No paternal, no maternal, no older, no younger. Just cousin. Welcome to one of the friendliest — and laziest — family trees in any language.
Quick Answer
English flattens family relationships that many other languages keep separate. Cousin covers all of them — your dad's brother's kid, your mum's sister's kid, the older one, the younger one, the boy, the girl. If you need to be specific, you add details with a phrase: "my cousin on my mom's side" or "my older cousin Jamie."
What People Actually Say
| English phrase | Who it means |
|---|---|
| My cousin | Any child of your aunt or uncle (any side, any age, any gender) |
| My cousin on my mom's side | Maternal cousin (only said when it matters) |
| My nephew | Your sibling's son |
| My niece | Your sibling's daughter |
| My grandparents | Both grandfather and grandmother together |
| My grandpa / grandma | Informal for grandfather / grandmother |
| My in-laws | Your spouse's parents (and sometimes their siblings) |
| My second cousin | Your parent's cousin's child |
| Distant relative | Someone related but you barely see them |
| We're related on my dad's side | A clarification, not a default |
Common Mistakes
- "He is my cousin brother." → "He is my cousin." · English has no "cousin brother" — just cousin.
- "She is my mother sister daughter." → "She is my cousin." · Don't translate the family structure literally; collapse it.
- "My nephew is a girl." → "My niece is six years old." · Nephew is male only; niece is female.
- "I have many cousin." → "I have lots of cousins." · Cousins takes the plural -s, and "many" usually pairs with a counted plural.
- "My grandfather mother" → "My great-grandmother" · Add "great-" for the generation above grandparents.
Mini Dialogues
At a family dinner A: So who's the kid in the red shirt? B: Oh, that's my cousin Theo. He just moved here from Manchester. A: Cousin on which side? B: My mom's side. His mom and my mom are sisters. A: Cute. He looks just like you. B: Everyone says that. We hate it.
Catching up on Zoom A: How's your family doing? B: Busy! My sister just had her second baby, so I'm officially an aunt of two. A: Aww, congrats! Nephew or niece this time? B: A niece. They named her Mira. A: Beautiful name. Sending hugs to the whole tribe.
Tone Notes
In everyday English, people don't usually specify paternal or maternal sides — context handles it. You only add "on my mom's side" or "on my dad's side" when there's a real reason: telling apart two cousins with the same name, explaining why someone has a different last name, or describing a family resemblance. Among close friends, grandpa / grandma / nana / pops sound warm; grandfather / grandmother sound a bit more formal or written. In-laws is a neutral, slightly tongue-in-cheek umbrella term — most people say "my husband's mom" rather than "my mother-in-law" in casual chat.
Practice: Choose the Natural Sentence
Which one sounds natural?
- A. He is my mother sister's son.
- B. He is my cousin.
You meet your friend's brother's daughter. She is your friend's:
- A. niece
- B. nephew
Which is the right phrase for your father's father?
- A. My grand uncle
- B. My grandfather
Answer Key
- B — English collapses the whole chain into "cousin."
- A — Niece is female; nephew is male.
- B — "Grand uncle" (or great-uncle) is your grandparent's brother, not your father's father.
Tiny Summary
English family vocabulary is short, simple, and gender-flat for cousins. If you need detail, add a phrase like "on my mom's side" instead of inventing a new compound word. Cousin = cousin. Niece is female, nephew is male. Add "great-" to climb one generation higher. That's most of the tree right there.