খালা

What does খালা mean?

খালা (khala) is a Bangla noun that means maternal aunt, aunt in English.

Identifies one's mother's sister (maternal aunt) in Bangladeshi colloquial standard usage. It also serves as a respectful and affectionate term of address for middle-aged women or domestic helpers, often lengthened to খালাম্মা (khalamma). Learners should remember that aunts on the father's side are never addressed this way, but rather as ফুফু (phupu).

How do you say “maternal aunt” in Bangla?

Say খালা, pronounced khala. Press play to hear a native Bangladeshi voice say it.

Pronunciation tips

• It has a breathy consonant (bh, chh, dh, kh, th): say it with a small puff of air, as if a soft h follows.

These sounds have no exact English match. Practise them letter by letter in the Bengali alphabet guide.