Nephew definition in English

Nephew is a son of one’s brother or sister, or of one’s brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

Niece definition in English

Niece is a daughter of one’s brother or sister, or of one’s brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

Nephew and niece in Swahili

Swahili doesn’t have separate words for nephew and niece. They are both referred to with the same term: mpwa

Mpwa is pronounced as m-pwah.

If you want to differentiate the gender in Swahili, you can use:

Mpwa wa kiume (male) – Nephew.

Mpwa wa kike (female) – Niece.

Maana ya mpwa katika Kiswahili/ Meaning of mpwa in Swahili

Mpwa ni mtu aliyezaliwa na dada au kaka yako, mtoto wa dada au kaka yako

Example in a sentence/ Mfano katika sentensi

Having never married or had children, he left his inheritance to his two nieces. – “Kwa kuwa hakuwahi kuoa au kupata watoto, aliacha urithi wake kwa wapwa zake wawili.”

He held up his little nephew in his arms. – “Alimshika mpwa wake mdogo mikononi mwake.”