जीजाजीJijajiSister's Husband
Jijaji (जीजाजी) is your sister's husband — jija with the respect suffix -ji. It is the standard warm-but-respectful title for the man your sister married, used most of all for an elder sister's husband.
Who is your Jijaji?
The jijaji occupies a charmed spot in the family: as a son-in-law he must be honoured, yet as the target of his wife's younger siblings he is fair game for endless teasing — the same joking license that powers the jija-saali games at weddings. He is often the first outsider a household absorbs as one of its own, the man who arrives as a groom and ends up being the person younger siblings call when they need an ally against their parents. Few in-law words carry so much affection per syllable.
How it's used
Jijaji works in direct address — the wife's younger brothers and sisters actually call him Jijaji to his face, and he calls them saala and saali in return. For example: "जीजाजी, इस बार गर्मियों में आप ही हमें घुमाने ले चलिए" — "Jijaji, this summer you should be the one to take us on a trip."
Jijaji vs similar terms
Your jijaji is your own sister's husband; a nandoi is your husband's sister's husband — a different man reached through your marriage. The relationship is mutual with saala and saali: whoever calls him jijaji is his saala or saali. His female mirror in your family is the bhabhi, your brother's wife.
Frequently asked questions
What does Jijaji mean in Hindi?
Jijaji (जीजाजी) means your sister's husband — the respectful form of jija. A wife's siblings use it for the man she married, especially when he is an elder sister's husband.
What is the difference between Jijaji and Nandoi?
Jijaji is your own sister's husband. Nandoi is your husband's sister's husband, a term only a married woman needs. English calls both brother-in-law; Hindi separates them by whose sister was married.
Related terms
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