Mother is анэ in Kabardian and нанэ in Adyghe; father is адэ and Татэ; family is унагъуэ and унагъо.
Family words are among the first a Kabardian (East Circassian) or Adyghe (West Circassian) learner needs, and among the most different between the two: even “mother” and “brother” change. Here they are as the Circassian app teaches them in its “Family” and “People & Roles” units. For a closer look at mother and father, see how to say mother and father.
Every word here is a word the app teaches, checked against a second source: the Kabardian–Russian dictionary (Apazhev and Kokov, 2008), the app’s Adyghe dictionary, the app’s audio course (its scripts were reviewed by a native speaker of each dialect) or the Kabardian and Adyghe Wikipedias. A word that could not be checked this way is not on the page.
Family words in Kabardian and Adyghe
Kabardian (East Circassian) is on the left, Adyghe (West Circassian) on the right. Tap the speaker button to hear a word: the audio is the app’s own, the same as in its lessons. The Latin line under each word is the app’s spelling.
| In English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| mother | анэane | нанэnane |
| father | адэade | ТатэTate |
| brother | къуэшqwesh | шыshə |
| sister | шыпхъуshypkhwu | шыпхъуshəpkhu |
| grandmother | анэшхуэaneshkhwe | нэнэжъnenezhh |
| grandfather | адэшхуэadeshkhwe | тэтэжъtetezhh |
| son | къуэqwe | къоqo |
| daughter | пхъуpkhwu | пхъуpkhu |
| child | сабийsabiy | сабыйsabəy |
| family | унагъуэwunaghuwe | унагъоwnagho |
The words on this page are from the units “Family” (Section 1, Foundations) and “People & Roles” (Section 5, Daily Life) in the Circassian app’s Kabardian and Adyghe courses. The lessons teach them with audio and short quizzes, and bring back the ones you miss sooner.
In a sentence
These sentences are from the app’s audio course, with the course’s own translation. Its scripts were reviewed by a native speaker of each dialect.
This is my child
My family
Good to know
One word, two family members. In Adyghe, нанэ is “mother” (the app’s Adyghe dictionary and course). In Kabardian, the Kabardian–Russian dictionary gives нанэ as “grandmother; old woman” (p. 332). The Kabardian course says анэ for mother.
Brother and horse. Adyghe шы is “brother” and also “horse”; Kabardian has къуэш for brother and шы for horse.
Uncles and aunts. The Kabardian–Russian dictionary names them by side of the family: анэ дэлъху, the mother’s brother, and анэ шыпхъу, the mother’s sister (p. 24); адэ шыпхъу, the father’s sister (p. 20).
Test yourself
Five questions with this page’s words. Pick a dialect, then choose the right word.
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In the app, questions like these are in every lesson, and the words you get wrong come back for review sooner.
More Circassian words by topic
Questions
How do you say mother in Circassian?
анэ in Kabardian and нанэ in Adyghe. Careful: in Kabardian, нанэ means “grandmother”.
How do you say brother and sister?
Brother is къуэш in Kabardian and шы in Adyghe; sister is шыпхъу in both.
How do you say grandmother and grandfather?
Grandmother is анэшхуэ in Kabardian and нэнэжъ in Adyghe; grandfather is адэшхуэ and тэтэжъ.
How do you say “This is my child”?
Мыр си сабийщ. in Kabardian and Мыр сисабый. in Adyghe, as the app’s audio course says it.
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Sources
- Circassian App lessons, Kabardian and Adyghe courses (October 2026), units: Family, People & Roles.
- Circassian App audio course (Beginner), Kabardian lessons 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 19; Adyghe lessons 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 19. Each lesson’s script was reviewed by a native speaker of its dialect before the course was recorded; the translations are the course’s own.
- M.L. Apazhev, Dzh.N. Kokov, Kabardino-cherkessko-russky slovar (Kabardino-Cherkess–Russian Dictionary), Nalchik: Elbrus, 2008, the Kabardian dictionary in the app’s Translate screen: адэ (p. 20), къуэш (p. 284), шыпхъу (p. 578), анэшхуэ (p. 24), адэшхуэ (p. 20), къуэ (p. 280), пхъу (p. 376), сабий (p. 396), унагъуэ (p. 453).
- Adyghe dictionary in the app’s Translate screen (3,499 entries, from dovlet.info): нанэ, Татэ, шы, тэтэжъ, къо, пхъу, сабый.
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