ਨਾਨਾ ਜੀNanajiMaternal Grandfather
Nanaji (ਨਾਨਾ ਜੀ) is your maternal grandfather in Punjabi — your mother's father. His household is your nanke, the maternal home every Punjabi child knows as a second world.
How your Nanaji connects to you
Who is your Nanaji?
Because a Punjabi bride traditionally moved to her husband's village, her parents' home became a beloved elsewhere for her children — the nanke, visited in school holidays and remembered with outsized fondness. The nana, freed from the disciplinarian duties he once carried for his own children, tends to be pure indulgence for his daughter's children. The maternal family also bears ceremonial gifts, the nanki chhak, at weddings on the mother's side.
How it's used
Grandchildren address and refer to him as Nanaji, never dropping the ji. Example: "ਗਰਮੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਛੁੱਟੀਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਸੀਂ ਨਾਨਾ ਜੀ ਕੋਲ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਾਂ" (Garmian dian chhuttian vich asin Nanaji kol jande han) — "In the summer holidays we go to our maternal grandfather's home."
Where Nanaji comes from
Nana is the maternal counterpart of dada — the reduplicated word for the mother's father.
Nanaji vs similar terms
Nanaji is your mother's father; Dadaji is your father's father. The terms flip with perspective: to your daughter's children you become the nana, to your son's children the dada.
Frequently asked questions
What does Nanaji mean in Punjabi?
Nanaji (ਨਾਨਾ ਜੀ) means maternal grandfather — your mother's father. The honorific ji is standard, and the word applies only to the maternal side of the family.
What is the difference between Nanaji and Dadaji?
Nanaji is on your mother's side and Dadaji on your father's. English says grandfather for both; Punjabi insists on knowing which line he belongs to.
What does Nanke mean in Punjabi?
Nanke means the maternal grandparents' home and, by extension, all the relatives on your mother's side. Punjabi children traditionally spend school holidays at their nanke, and the word carries a famously warm, nostalgic ring.
Related terms
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