Akka, Anna, Amma: Family Words and Polite Address in Kannada

Spend a day in Bengaluru and you'll hear strangers calling each other brother, sister and mother. Family words in Kannada do double duty: they name your relatives, and they are also the everyday polite way to address an auto driver, a vegetable seller or an older neighbour. This guide covers both uses, plus the family questions you'll be asked sooner or later, all in spoken Kannada written in English letters.

The family words

Start with the people at home.

Kannada separates elder and younger siblings: akka and anna are older than you, thangi and thamma are younger. Notice that amma, akka, anna and mama carry a second meaning in brackets. That second meaning is the key to the next section.

Strangers are family

Kannada speakers call strangers by family words. A man a little older is anna, brother; a woman is akka, sister; an older woman amma; an older man mama. Start a request with one and it instantly sounds warmer and more natural.

"Anna, illi nilsi" is how most people talk to an auto driver: "anna" makes any request warmer. The same goes for "akka" at a market stall.

Choosing the right word

• Anna for a man a little older than you, such as an auto driver.
• Akka for a woman a bit older, such as a vendor at a market stall.
• Amma for an older woman.
• Mama for a much older man. This is why you'll hear names like "Gopal mama". It is affectionate, not formal.

You don't need to get ages exactly right. The point is warmth: a request that opens with anna or akka simply sounds more natural than one that doesn't.

Saying who you have

There is no word for "have"

Kannada says "to me there is" instead: nanage, to me, then the person, then the verb for "is". So "I have a younger sister" is literally "to me one younger sister is".

Iddane, iddale, iddare

People get their own "is": iddane for a man, iddale for a woman, and iddare for several people, or one person you want to be polite about. Things just use ide. Notice that "one" changes too: obba for a man, obbalu for a woman.

The family questions everyone asks

Once people know you a little, these questions come quickly, often from older neighbours or your landlord's family.

"Maduve aagideya?" is asked casually and often, especially by older people. It isn't meant to pry, and you can answer as much or as little as you like. "Innu illa", not yet, is a perfectly friendly reply.

Be careful with "Maneyalli yaaryaaru iddare?". It sounds like it's about the house, but it's asking who is in your family, so answer with people, such as where your parents are or what siblings you have.

A quick conversation

Lakshmi akka, who helps at home, has made herself a coffee and sat down. Today she wants to know all about your family.

• Lakshmi: Maneyalli yaaryaaru iddare? — Who's in your family?
• You: Amma-appa Dilli-alli iddare — My parents are in Delhi
• Lakshmi: Maneyalli yaaryaaru iddare? — Who's in your family?
• You: Nanage obbalu thangi iddale — I have a younger sister
• Lakshmi: Maduve aagideya? — Are you married?
• You: Innu illa — Not yet
• Lakshmi: Makkalu iddara? — Do you have children?
• You: Illa — No
• Lakshmi: Akka — Elder sister
• You: Dhanyavada — Thank you

With that last word she is calling you family. "Dhanyavada" is the right response.

Quick tips

• Put the family word first: "Anna, ..." or "Akka, ...", then your request.
• Keep your answers consistent. If you've just said "Innu illa" to marriage, the natural answer to the children question is "Illa".
• Use iddare for your parents or for someone you want to be polite about, even when talking about one person.