ਪੜਨਾਨਾ ਜੀParnanajiMaternal Great-Grandfather
Parnanaji (ਪੜਨਾਨਾ ਜੀ) is your maternal great-grandfather — your mother's grandfather, most precisely the father of your Nana. He stands three generations above you on your mother's side.
How your Parnanaji connects to you
Who is your Parnanaji?
Reaching the Parnana means crossing into your mother's ancestral village and history — the nanka side that Punjabi children know through summer visits and wedding gatherings rather than daily life. That distance gives the Parnana a certain aura: he is the patriarch of the family your mother came from, and meeting a living one connects a child to a second lineage, a second pind, and a second set of stories.
How it's used
The address form is Parnana ji, with -ji obligatory for so senior an elder; in practice many children simply say Nana ji to him as well. Example: "Mere parnana ji fauj vich hunde si" — "My great-grandfather served in the army."
Where Parnanaji comes from
Parnana is your nana's father — the maternal great-grandfather.
Parnanaji vs similar terms
Parnana versus Pardada is the maternal-paternal split carried to the third generation: the Parnana fathered your Nana, the Pardada your Dada. English needs a clumsy phrase like "maternal great-grandfather" for a distinction Punjabi makes in one word.
Frequently asked questions
What does Parnanaji mean in Punjabi?
Parnanaji (ਪੜਨਾਨਾ ਜੀ) means maternal great-grandfather — the father of your Nana, your mother's grandfather. The par- prefix extends Nana back one generation.
What is the difference between Parnana and Pardada?
Both are great-grandfathers, but the Parnana is on your mother's side and the Pardada on your father's. A Punjabi speaker knows instantly from the word alone which family line is meant.
Is the Parnana the Nana's father or the Nani's father?
Strictly, Parnana refers to your Nana's father, though in everyday speech families often use it loosely for any great-grandfather on the mother's side.
Related terms
Build your family tree with Parnanaji on it
Add real family members and see exactly how each kinship term maps to your relatives.
Start building — free