Language/Swedish/Vocabulary/Family

Family members & Relatives in Swedish

If you study the family vocabulary in Swedish, you will quickly find that the distinction between your maternal and paternal family lines is extremely ingrained in the Swedish language. When it comes to grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews, there are different words for each depending on whether they fall on your mother's side or your father's side (or your daughter or your brother).

"Familj" means family and "släkt" means relatives. How this is used in Swedish can vary a little. Some talk about family as only the people you live with, others with the relatives you are close to, and some for extended family. Swedish usually don't use the word "släkt" unless it's more distant family that we aren't very close to.

Below, you'll find our comprehensive vocabulary guide for talking about family in Swedish.

Familj (Family)

English	Swedish
grandparents generation	farföräldrar och morföräldrar generation
father's father	farfar
father's mother	farmor
mother's father	morfar
mother's mother	mormor
parents generation	föräldrar generation
father	far
mother	mor
father's brother	farbror
mother's brother	morbror
father's sister	faster
mother's sister	moster
godfather	gudfader
godmother	gudmor
father-in-law	svärfar
mother-in-law	svärmor
peers	jämlikar
brother	bror
sister	syster
cousin	kusin
wife	fru
husband	man
brother-in-law	svåger
sister-in-law	svägerska
children generation	barn generation
son	son
daughter	dotter
brother's son	brorson
sister's son	systerson
brother's daughter	brorsdotter
sister's daughter	systerdotter
son-in-law	svärson
daughter-in-law	svärdotter
grandchildren generation	barnbarn generation
son's son	sonson
daughter's son	dotterson
son's daughter	sondotter
daughter's daughter	dotterdotter