ननदNanadHusband's Sister
Nanad (ननद) is your husband's sister — the sister-in-law a woman gains on marrying. Whether older or younger than the husband, his sister is the nanad, and her husband becomes your nandoi.
Who is your Nanad?
The nanad is the daughter of the house a bride enters, which gives the nanad-bhabhi pairing its charge: one woman grew up in the home, the other arrives to make it hers. Folk songs alternately tease and celebrate the two, and wedding custom gives the nanad formal claims — at her brother's wedding she performs key rituals and traditionally receives her nek, a ceremonial gift, for them. Since a married nanad returns to her parents' home on festivals, she and the bhabhi often become each other's closest link between the two worlds.
How it's used
A wife says nanad when describing the relationship; face to face she uses her name, or didi if the nanad is older. For example: "मेरी ननद हर तीज-त्योहार पर मायके आती हैं" — "My nanad (husband's sister) comes to her parents' home for every festival."
Nanad vs similar terms
The nanad is the husband's sister; the saali is the wife's sister — the same relationship viewed from opposite ends of a marriage. And the bhabhi is a brother's wife, which means a nanad and a bhabhi are each other's counterparts: your nanad calls you bhabhi.
Frequently asked questions
What does Nanad mean in Hindi?
Nanad (ननद) means your husband's sister. A married woman uses the term for any sister of her husband, elder or younger, and that sister's husband is called nandoi.
What is the difference between Nanad and Saali?
A nanad is the husband's sister, named by the wife; a saali is the wife's sister, named by the husband. They mirror each other across the marriage.
Related terms
Build your family tree with Nanad on it
Add real family members and see exactly how each kinship term maps to your relatives.
Start building — free