बहूBahuDaughter-in-law
Bahu (बहू) is your daughter-in-law — the woman who married your son. The word also carries a wider sense of the bride of the house: elders and even neighbours may call a young married woman bahu.
Who is your Bahu?
Because North Indian marriage traditionally moved the bride into her husband's family home, the bahu became the pivot on which a household turned — welcomed with the muh-dikhai ceremony, where relatives see the new bride's face and press gifts into her hands, and then gradually entrusted with the family's kitchen, festivals, and reputation. Generations of saas-bahu drama, on screen and off, come from the weight of that transition. The gentlest advice elders give still survives in a common saying: keep your bahu like a daughter.
How it's used
Elders address her as bahu directly or use her name; outsiders say things like unki bahu, their daughter-in-law. For example: "हमारी बहू ने पूरे घर की ज़िम्मेदारी संभाल ली है" — "Our bahu (daughter-in-law) has taken on responsibility for the whole house."
Bahu vs similar terms
The bahu and the damaad are opposite numbers — son's wife and daughter's husband — but tradition assigned them opposite scripts: the damaad is feted as a guest while the bahu becomes a working member of the family. Within the house, two bahus married to brothers rank as jethani and devrani.
Frequently asked questions
What does Bahu mean in Hindi?
Bahu (बहू) means daughter-in-law — your son's wife. It is also used more broadly for the young bride of a household, addressed directly as bahu by her elders.
What is the difference between Bahu and Behen?
They are unrelated words that new learners sometimes mix up: bahu (बहू) is a daughter-in-law, while behen (बहन) means sister. Only the sound is similar.
Related terms
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