ਪੋਤਾPotaGrandson
Pota (ਪੋਤਾ) means grandson through a son in Punjabi — specifically your son's son. He belongs to the paternal line, the same line named by dada and dadi.
How your Pota connects to you
Who is your Pota?
In a culture where family name and ancestral land pass down the male line, the birth of a pota was traditionally celebrated as the continuation of the house itself. Grandparents often share a gentler bond with the pota than they had with their own sons — discipline was the parents' job, delight the grandparents'. The prefix system extends the line onward: the pota's own son is a parpota, a great-grandson.
How it's used
Grandparents say pota when speaking of their son's son; face to face they usually call him puttar or by name. Example: "ਸਾਡਾ ਪੋਤਾ ਅੱਜ ਪੰਜ ਸਾਲ ਦਾ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ" (Saada pota ajj panj saal da ho gaya) — "Our grandson turned five today."
Where Pota comes from
Pota comes from the Sanskrit pautra — a son's son.
Pota vs similar terms
A pota is your son's son; your daughter's son is your dohta. English uses one word, grandson, for both, but Punjabi records which child the boy descends through — the same paternal/maternal logic behind dada versus nana.
Frequently asked questions
What does Pota mean in Punjabi?
Pota (ਪੋਤਾ) means grandson — precisely, your son's son. A grandson through your daughter is called dohta instead, so Punjabi distinguishes the two kinds of grandsons.
What is the difference between Pota and Dohta?
Both are grandsons. A pota descends through your son and continues the paternal line; a dohta is your daughter's son, counted on her married family's side.
What is a Parpota?
A parpota is a great-grandson through the male line — your pota's son. Punjabi builds the word with the prefix par-, the same way pardada and pardadi name great-grandparents on the paternal side.
Related terms
Build your family tree with Pota on it
Add real family members and see exactly how each kinship term maps to your relatives.
Start building — free