Manipuri Kinship Terms
make a free word. Thus m´ ´cha nupa
Manipuri kinship terms may be studied in the
following ways.
Kinship terms in Manipuri are bound in
nature. As they express kinship
relationships between two persons
pronominal prefixes are always attached to
them to make a free word. Manipuri has
three pronominal prefixes to indicate three
types of persons as – i- “first person”, nђ-
‘second person” and mђ-“third person”.
Manipuri kin terms signifies the following
points
a. Sex of the person addressed
or/and referred to.
b. Sex of the linking relative and
c. Sex of the ego.
All these three points are equally
significant in the study of Manipuri
kinship terms.
Reference terms indicating different kin
relations have different forms based on the
sex ego. The word for younger brother in
Manipuri has two forms depending on the
male and female ego. m´ ´nau nupa is for a
male ego while m´ ´upwa ~ m´ ´upwa
nupa for a female ego. Words indicating
male and female (nupa ‘male’ and nupi
‘female’) are added to the kin terms
whenever the particular term cannot
specify the sex of the kinsmen. For
example, the bound forms –ca ‘child’, -
nau ‘younger brother of a male ego or
younger sister of a female ego’, -su ‘grand
child’, etc. cannot specify the sex of the
kinsmen. nupa ‘male’ and nupi ‘female’
are always attached to them to differentiate
the sex of the addressee or refered to. It
may be mentioned that mђ- ‘generalized
prefix’ is added to the bound forms to
indicates ‘son’ while ´ca
m´ nupi
´nau nupa refers to three
‘daughter’, m´
kinship relations as (a) younger sister’s
husband of a female ego, (b) younger
brother of a male ego and (c) husband’s
´nau nupi
younger brother. Similarly, m´
has also three reference terms as (a)
younger sister of a female ego, (b) younger
brother’s wife of a male ego and (c)
wife’s younger sister. To indicate the sex
of a grand child m´ ´su nupa ‘grandson’
´su nupi ‘grand daughter’ are used.
and m´
It may be observed the addition of nupa
and nupi is not only used for
distinguishing the sex of the kinsmen but
also found attached to the kin terms
referring to younger addressee. For
´ mђu can optionally take the
example, m´
word nupi as m´ ´mau nupi which also
refers to three kinship relations: (a)
daughter-in-law, (b) elder/younger
brother’s daughter of a female ego and (c)
younger/elder sister’s daughter of a male
ego.
Another point to be noted is that to show
respect to the addressee (both in elder and
younger) the following word ibuN No (i-is
optionally deleted in address term) ‘male’
and ibemm´ ´ (i- is optionally deleted in
address term) ‘female’ are added both in
reference and address terms. For example,
the word for ‘grandmother’ is
m´´bok~m´ ´bok ibemm´ ´ which is for
reference term and while address term is
ђbok~ђbokbemm´
´. For a younger
addressee the reference term for younger
brother of a male ego may be
m´´nau~m´ ´nauibuN No while the address
No.
term will be inau~inauibuN
It has been observed that Manipuri kinship
terms are based on sex ego only in the
present generation. The kinship terms for mђpu~mђpubok
ascending generations that of parents and grandfather
grand parents are not based on sex ego
thereby using common terms. For
example, mђma ‘mother’ does not have
The reference terms mentioned above
two different forms based on male and have their corresponding address terms
female ego whereas word for elder brother also. For instance, the address term
has two different words like m´ ´jamba
for mother is ima ‘my mother’, nђma
‘elder brother of male ego’ and m´ ´buN
N
‘your mother’ and mђma ‘his/her
‘elder brother of female ego’. Some more
mother’. The address term for elder
examples are illustrated below:
brother is tadђ, tamo, tachou (eldest
Common in reference term brother) for both male and female ego.
Word for elder sister is also common
´ma
m´ mother
for both male and female ego i.e. ice
´pa
m´ father ‘my elder sister’, nђce ‘your elder
sister’ and mђce ‘his/her elder sister’.
m´´mabok mother’s elder In this context, it may be noted that the
sister/ father’s elder brother’s pronominal prefixes are not attached to
wife some kinship terms which are not
indigenous Manipuri words such as
´ndomca
m´ mother’s
tadђ ‘elder brother’, mamђ ‘maternal
younger sister/father’s
uncle’.
younger brother’s wife
The kinship relation of the ego’s
´pђn
m´ father’s elder generation referring to the preceding
brother/mother’s elder sister’s generation is not based on the sex ego
husband as shown in the above examples. On
the other hand, while referring to the
m´´ton paternal
ego’s generation by the preceding
uncle/ mother’s younger generation the male and female ego is
sister’s husband taken into account. The kinship
´
mam´ maternal relationship of father’s sister to a
female will be mђmђu~mђmђunupi
uncle/ father’s sister’s
husband/ brother’s wife’s and for a male it will be mђyanupa.
father
The attachment of i-(first person
m´´ne paternal pronominal prefix) to a kin term
aunt/mother’s brother’s wife referring to a second/third person
shows the expression of politeness or
mђnembok mother–in- respect towards the addressee. For
law example, nђ֊gi ima ‘your mother’
mђhakki ima ‘his/her mother’ is a
mђkubok father-in-law
respect form which shows that the
mђbok grand mother speaker is polite towards the
addressee. It may also be referred to a
younger addressee showing politeness List of the kinship relations of the
or in a formal situation .e.g. while existing generation.
talking in a television show or radio
talk. Address forms like nђ֊gi Elder male ego
nђma~nђma shows the rudeness of mђjambђ - ‘elder brother,
the speaker towards the addressee even wife’s elder sister’s husband,
if the later is younger. mother’s sister’s son’
One particular kinship term may have
mђbai - ‘elder sister’s
even six kinship relations of either
husband, father’s sister’s son
paternal or maternal except ‘father’
(elder to the speaker), wife’s
and ‘mother’. For example, mђbai
elder brother, mother’s
‘elder brother-in-law of a male ego’ brother’s son (elder to the
has five kinship references as (a) elder speaker), daughter-in-law’s
sister’s husband (b) father’s sister’s father (elder to the speaker),
son (elder to the speaker) (c) wife’s daughter’s father-in-law (elder
elder brother, (d) mother’s brother’s to the speaker)’
son (elder to the speaker), (e)
daughter-in-law’s father (elder to the mђce - ‘elder sister’s, wife’s
speaker) and (f) daughter’s father in- elder brother’s wife’s,
law (elder to the speaker). mother’s sister’s daughter,
daughter-in-laws mother of a
The word mђsen ‘younger brother-in-
male ego’
law of a male ego’ has the same
kinship references as (a) younger mђtђimђ - ‘elder brother’s
sister’s husband (b) father’s sister’s wife, wife’s elder sister,
son (younger to the speaker) (c) wife’s father’s sister’s daughter,
younger brother, (d) mother’s mother’s brother’s daughter’
brother’s son (younger to the speaker),
(e) daughter-in-law’s father (younger Younger male ego
to the speaker) and (f) daughter’s
father in-law (younger to the speaker). mђnaunupa – ‘younger
Both the above terms mђbai and brother, wife’s younger
sister’s husband, mother’s
mђsen shows cross-cousin reference.
sister’s son’
One may use ibai, nђbai or mђbai as
address term while in case of mђsen mђsen - younger sister’s
only the reference term retains. The husband, father’s sister’s son
reason behind this is because of the (younger to the speaker),
younger age of the addressee and in wife’s younger brother,
such cases people address name of the mother’s brother’s son
person referred to. (younger to the speaker),
daughter-in-law’s father
(younger to the speaker),
daughter’s father in-law
(younger to the speaker)’
mђcђn~mђcђnnupi – younger Younger female ego
sister, mother’s sister’s
mђupwa~mђupwanupa –
daughter, daughter-in-law’s
mother, daughter’s mother-in- ‘younger brother,
law’ mother’s sister’s son,
husband’s sister’s
mђnaunupi – ‘younger husband, father’s
brother’s wife, wife’s younger brother’s son,
sister, father’s sister’s daughter’s father–in-
daughter, mother’s brother’s law of a female ego,
sister’ daughter-in-law’s
father’
Elder female ego
mђnaunupa – ‘husband’s
mђpuroibђ- ‘husband’ brother, sister’s
husband, father’s
mђce - ‘elder sister, sister’s son, mother’s
mother’s sister’s daughter, brother’s son’
father’s brother’s daughter,
husband’s elder brother’s mђnaunupi – ‘younger sister,
wife, mother’s brother’s son’s father’s brother’s
wife, father’s sister’s son’s daughter, husband’s
wife’ brother’s wife,
mother’s sister’s
mђnђmmђ - ‘elder brother’s daughter’
wife, father’s sister’s
daughter, mother’s mђcђnnupi – ‘younger
brother’s daughter, brother’s wife,
daughter-in- laws husband’s sister,
mother of a female father’s sister’s
ego, daughter’s daughter, mother’s
mother-in-law’ brother daughter’

mђbu֊ - ‘elder brother,

mother’s sister’s son,
father’s brother’s son, Descending generation
daughter’s father–in- Male ego
law of a female ego,
daughter-in-law’s mђcanupa – ‘son, brother’s
father’ son’

mђtђi – ‘husband’s elder mђcanupi – ‘daughter,

brother, sister’s brother’s daughter’
husband, father’s
sister’s son, mother’s mђmak – ‘daughter’s
brother’s son’ husband, sister’s son,
son’s wife’s brother’
mђmђu – ‘son’s wife, sister’s mђnembok–
daughter, son’s wife’s ‘husband’s/wife’s mother’
sister’
mђne – ‘father’s sister,
mђsunupa – ‘grandson’ mother’s brother’s wife,
brother’s wife’s mother,
mђsunupi – ‘granddaughter’ sister’s husbands mother’

Female ego mamђ - ‘mother’s brother,

father’s sister’s husband,
mђcanupa – ‘ son, sister’s
brother’s wife’s father, sister’s
son’ husband’s father’
mђcanupi – ‘daughter, sister’s mђndon ~mђndomca–
daughter’ ‘father’s brother’s wife,
mother’s sister’
mђjanupa – ‘daughter’s
husband, brother’s
son’

mђmau – ‘son’s wife,

brother’s daughter’

mђsunupa – ‘grandson’

mђsunupi – ‘granddaughter’

Ascending generation

There is no distinction in male

and female ego in case of
ascending generations. They
are illustrated below:

Elder

mђma – ‘mother’

mђpa - ‘father’

mђmabok – ‘mother’s sister,

father’s brother’s wife’

mђpђn – ‘father’s brother’

mђkubok – ‘husband’s/wife’s
father’