Language/Classical-quechua/Vocabulary/Family

Classical Quechua Vocabulary - Family

Hi Classical Quechua learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be learning Classical Quechua vocabulary related to family. Learning how to talk about your family in a new language can be both useful and interesting. You can connect with your new friends and collaborators by exchanging information about your culture and traditions. Let's begin!

Basic family vocabulary

Let's start with some basic family vocabulary:

Classical Quechua	Pronunciation	English
mama	['mama]	mother
tata	['tata]	father
kuyaq	[kʊ'jaʔ]	brother
panqa	['paŋqa]	sister
wawa	['wawa]	child

Now let's see some examples in context:

• Person 1: Mama kasqa. (My mother is here.)
• Person 2: Saraqmi kaymi, allincasqa. (Nice to meet you, she's great.)
• Person 1: Kuyaq ñuqaqa, warmikuna qonqonqentimita yupaychamusaq. (My brother and I will help our wives with the cooking.)

Extended family

In Quechua culture, the extended family is important. Let's see some new vocabulary:

Classical Quechua	Pronunciation	English
yawar	['jahʋaɾ]	grandfather
tayta	['tajta]	uncle (father's brother)
mamaña	['mamaɲa]	aunt (mother's sister)
wawaña	['wawaɲa]	niece/nephew
ñaña	['ɲaɲa]	cousin

Let's use some of these new words in a dialogue:

• Person 1: Yawar ñuqaqa, kani. (My grandfather is here, too.)
• Person 2: ¿Kaymi yawarni? (Which grandfather?)
• Person 1: Tataray yawarni. (My father's father.)

Family relationships

In Quechua, there are specific words to describe relationships between siblings and parents:

Classical Quechua	Pronunciation	English
ñaña kuyaq	['ɲaɲa 'kʊjaʔ]	cousin (between brothers)
wawqikuna	['wawqikʊna]	siblings
taytaq	['tajtaq]	father-in-law
mamaq	['mamaq]	mother-in-law
allpakuq	['aʎpaʔukʊq]	godparent

Let's use some of these words in context:

• Person 1: Wawqikuna kasqa, ñuqaqa ñoqa warmikunamanta Tawantinsuyuchu hanaq pachapi kani. (My siblings are here, and we're going to visit our wives in Tawantinsuyu.)
• Person 2: Kawsanki allpakuq? (Who's your godparent?)
• Person 1: Mamaqmi allpakun. (My mother-in-law is my godmother.)

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now know a variety of Classical Quechua vocabulary for talking about family. Remember to practice using these words in context! To improve your Classical Quechua Vocabulary, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! You can also check out our Vocabulary page for more useful words and phrases in Classical Quechua.

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Quechuan languages
• Quechua people
• South Bolivian Quechua

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