Greek Words: Family Members — with Pronunciation and Memory Hooks

οικογένεια [i-ko-YE-ni-a] — family

Sounds like: “echo genie ya”. A genie shouts 'ya!' and an echo brings his whole family running out of the bottle.

μητέρα [mi-TE-ra] — mother

Sounds like: “meter-a”. A mother stands proudly holding a giant meter ruler, measuring how tall her children have grown.

Η μητέρα μου είναι όμορφη — My mother is beautiful

πατέρας [pa-TE-ras] — father

Sounds like: “pat error”. Father gives a pat on the back, but pats the wrong kid by error, everyone chuckles.

ο πατέρας μαγειρεύει — the father is cooking

γιος [yos] — son

Sounds like: “ye-oh”. A dad shouts 'ye-oh!' happily lifting his newborn son high above his head in celebration.

Ο γιος γεννήθηκε χθες. — The son was born yesterday.

κόρη [KO-ri] — daughter

Sounds like: “core-y”. A girl bites the core of an apple her mom handed her, juice dripping down her chin at the table.

αδερφός [a-der-FOS] — brother

Sounds like: “a-derf-oss”. Your goofy brother wears an antler headband and moss on his boots, dancing weirdly in the yard

αδερφή [a-der-FI] — sister

Sounds like: “a dear friend”. My sister is also a dear friend: we share one umbrella and one bag of chestnuts on the way home.

Έχω μία αδερφή — I have one sister

παππούς [pa-POOS] — grandfather

Sounds like: “pa-poose”. Grandfather straps a papoose baby carrier on his back and walks the toddler through the yard.

Ο παππούς αγαπάει τα εγγόνια του. — Grandfather loves his grandchildren.

γιαγιά [ya-YA] — grandmother

Sounds like: “yaya”. Grandma waves her cane shouting 'yaya!' as she chases the kids off her porch.

άντρας [AN-dras] — man / husband

Sounds like: “on-drass”. A man puts on his dress shirt every morning before work, buttoning it up quickly.

ο άντρας — the man

γυναίκα [yi-NE-ka] — woman / wife

Sounds like: “gina car”. A woman named Gina drives her car confidently down the street, waving at neighbors from the window.

παιδί [pe-DI] — child

Sounds like: “pedal”. A small child pedals furiously on a tricycle, laughing down the sunny driveway.

Το παιδί κάνει ποδήλατο. — The child rides a bike.

μωρό [mo-RO] — baby

Sounds like: “more oh”. Mother holds a tiny baby and gasps 'more, oh!' wanting another cute little bundle like it.

Το μωρό κλαίει — The baby is crying

γείτονας [YI-to-nas] — neighbour

Sounds like: “gee-tone-us”. He says 'gee' in a friendly tone to us over the fence, greeting us like a neighbour.

Ο γείτονας χτύπησε την πόρτα — The neighbour knocked on the door

αφεντικό [a-fen-di-KO] — boss

Sounds like: “a fan tico”. The boss waves a fancy ticket at you, ordering you to work faster and harder now.

Το αφεντικό μου είναι αυστηρό — My boss is strict

γιατρός [ya-TROS] — doctor

Sounds like: “yacht-ross”. A doctor named Ross stands on a yacht, holding a stethoscope, checking sailors' hearts before the trip.

Ο γιατρός εξετάζει τον ασθενή — The doctor examines the patient

δάσκαλος [DAS-ka-los] — teacher

Sounds like: “das-color”. The teacher holds up a chart labeled 'das color' teaching kids the names of colors on a board.

Ο δάσκαλος εξηγεί το μάθημα. — The teacher explains the lesson.

αγόρι [a-GO-ri] — boy

Sounds like: “a gory”. A boy runs in with a gory knee, showing off his scraped, bloody wound proudly to friends.

Το αγόρι έπεσε. — The boy fell down.

κορίτσι [ko-RI-tsi] — girl

Sounds like: “core-eat-see”. A little girl bites the core of an apple while you watch her curiously, see her giggle happily.

άνθρωπος [AN-thro-pos] — person

Sounds like: “ant-throw-pose”. A tiny ant throws a pose like a human, standing tall as a person watches amazed.