भाई

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇𑀅 (bhāia) (see also 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), 𑀪𑀸𑀉 (bhāu), 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā)), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”). Cognate with Punjabi ਭਰਾ (bharā) / بھرا (bharā), Sindhi भाऊ / ڀاءُ (bhāū), Gujarati ભાઈ (bhāī), Marathi भाऊ (bhāū), Bengali ভাই (bhai), Persian برادر (barâdar), Ancient Greek φράτηρ (phrátēr), Latin frāter, Old Norse bróðir and Old English brōþor (English brother).

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /bʱɑː.iː/, [bʱäː.iː]

भाई • (bhāī) m (feminine बहन, Urdu spelling بھائی)

1. brother

   Synonyms: (formal) भ्रातृ (bhrātŕ), (formal) भ्राता (bhrātā), भाऊ (bhāū), भैया (bhaiyā), बिरादर (birādar)

   मेरा छोटा भाई बहुत मासूम है।

   merā choṭā bhāī bahut māsūm hai.

   My younger brother is very naïve.

2. (informal, vocative) used to refer to any male person

   भाई-साहब ― bhāī-sāhab ― sir, mister

3. (informal, vocative) dude, friend, bro

   Synonym: यार (yār)

• भैया (bhaiyā)

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “भाई”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “bhrāˊtr̥”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “भाई”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.
• Platts, John T. (1884) “भाई”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “भाई”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “भाई”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha

Inherited from Old Gujarati भाई (bhāī), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”).

भाई (bhāī) m

1. brother

• “भाई”, in Marwari Dictionary, SIL International, 2015
• “भाई”, in राजस्थानी सबदकोस [rājasthānī sabadkos], charans.org, 2025
• Lalas, Sitaram (2013) “भाई”, in राजस्थानी सबद कोस: राजस्थानी-हिन्दी वृहद् कोश [rājasthānī sabad kos: rājasthānī-hindī vŕhad koś] (in Hindi), 2^nd edition, Jodhpur: चौपासनी शिक्षा समिती [caupāsnī śikṣā samitī].

From Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), 𑀪𑀸𑀉 (bhāu), 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”).

भाई • (bhāī) m

1. brother

• Gujarati: ભાઈ (bhāī)