Somali has two different words for uncle, depending on which side of the family he’s on: abti (mother’s brother) and adeer (father’s brother)
Unlike English, Somali doesn’t have one single word for “uncle” — the word depends on whether he’s your mother’s brother or your father’s brother.
The two words
Abti — your mother’s brother/cousin (maternal uncle)
Adeer — your father’s brother/cousin (paternal uncle)
So if you’re asking “how do you say my uncle in Somali,” the real answer depends on which uncle you mean. A simple way to remember it: abti goes with your mother’s side, while adeer goes with your father’s side.
What does Adeer mean?
Adeer specifically means paternal uncle — your father’s brother. It’s distinct from abti, which is used only for a maternal uncle (your mother’s brother). If you’ve come across “adeer” used as a general term of respect toward an older man, that’s also common — similar to how walaal can be used warmly outside the immediate family, adeer is sometimes used the same way as a respectful, friendly form of address.
Why Somali makes this distinction
This isn’t unusual for Somali — the language draws a clear line between maternal and paternal relatives across most family words, including aunts and cousins too. It reflects how central extended family and lineage are in Somali culture; knowing exactly which side of the family someone belongs to is built directly into the vocabulary, rather than needing extra words to clarify.
Related family words
If you’re learning “uncle,” it’s worth learning the matching pair of words at the same time:
Habaryar — maternal aunt (mother’s sister)
Eeddo — paternal aunt (father’s sister)
For the full picture of Somali family and kinship terms — including cousins, grandparents, and how the system works for the wider family — click below for the complete family words guide.