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Family
Three roots build the whole family: pari
parent, nino
child, and maris
marry. Everyone else is a compound of those, or a
short chain of them.
Family roots
| Pikotika | Meaning |
| pari | a parent, parents |
| nino | a child, children; offspring |
| maris | to marry; married |
| vema | a woman; female |
| viro | a man; male |
| men | a group |
The close family
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
| parimen | parent-group |
family, relative, relatives |
| pari | parent |
a parent, parents |
| vemapari | woman-parent |
mother |
| viropari | man-parent |
father |
| nino | child |
child, children |
| vemanino | woman-child |
daughter; girl |
| vironino | man-child |
son; boy |
| novanino | new-child |
baby |
| sampariomo | same-parent-person |
brother or sister, sibling |
| samparivema | same-parent-woman |
sister |
| sampariviro | same-parent-man |
brother |
| marisomo | marry-person |
spouse |
| marisvema | marry-woman |
wife |
| marisviro | marry-man |
husband |
| paripari | parent-parent |
grandparent |
| ninonino | child-child |
grandchild |
| vetuspari | old-parent |
ancestors |
The words without vema or viro
are the everyday ones. Add a gender root when helps distinguish which person you're referring
to, or in cases (like sampariomo) where the gender-neutral word is no easier.
Also remember that in Pikotika, nouns
serve as both singular and plural.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
| Tu pari ri kermoto? | How are your parents? |
| Tisomo ri eko samparivema. | She's my sister. |
| Eko ri pipe a arpoaku kum eko viropari. | I drink tea with my father. |
| Eko vetuspari ri vons Itaria. | My ancestors are from Italy. |
Older and younger
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
| anyomeka | year-big | old |
| anyopiko | year-small | young |
| mas anyomeka samparivema | more year-big same-parent-woman |
an older sister |
| mas anyopiko sampariviro | more year-small same-parent-man |
a younger brother |
| piko nino | small child |
the little one, the youngest |
| Pikotika | Meaning |
| Tu anyoturan ri ker? | How old are you? |
| Eko anyoturan ri 34. | I'm 34 years old. |
| Tu nino anyoturan ri ker? | How old are your children? |
| Eko ri mas anyomeka vons pan. | I'm the oldest. |
| Mas anyomeka nino ri impar in mekaimparroko. | The older child is studying at university. |
Everyone else is a chain
There are no separate words for aunts, cousins or in-laws. Name the path
instead, one step at a time — a possessive is
just a modifier, so the steps stack like eko viropari
kase ‘my father's house’.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
| eko pari sampariomo | my parent's sibling — an aunt or uncle |
| eko vemapari samparivema | my mother's sister |
| eko viropari sampariviro | my father's brother |
| eko sampariomo nino | my sibling's child — a niece or nephew |
| eko vemapari pari | my mother's parents — grandparents on my mother's side |
| eko marisomo pari | my spouse's parents — my in-laws |
| eko marisomo sampariviro | my spouse's brother — a brother-in-law |
| eko nino marisomo | my child's spouse — a son- or daughter-in-law |
A cousin is one step longer — the child of a parent's sibling —
and it is one of the few places where te earns its keep:
Do you know my relative, Mary? She's my cousin.
Tu ri sape a eko parimen Meri, ker? Tisomo ri eko pari sampariomo te nino.
Note that parimen can refer to "relatives" as a group, or to an
individual relative. It's the common word that can be used to refer to any family member,
direct or extended; or casually, it might even be used for friends who are so close they
feel like family.
Asking about family
| Pikotika | Meaning |
| Tu ri tene a nino, ker? | Do you have children? |
| Si, eko ri tene a pits nino. | Yes, I have two. |
| Wun vironino kum wun vemanino. | A son and a daughter. |
| Eko vemanino ri novanino sista. | My daughter is still a baby. |
| Eko ri tene a nem nino. | I don't have children. |
| Tu ri tene a ker mesur sampariomo? | How many brothers and sisters do you have? |
| Eko ri tene a nem sampariomo. | I'm an only child (I have no siblings). |
| Tu parimen ri viva in kerroko? | Where does your family live? |
| Tisyan, eko ri sarve a tu parimen. | Today I'm meeting your relatives. |
How they are doing — Tu nino ri kermoto? — is on
Small talk.
Who looks like whom
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
| samvite | same-see | to look like |
| Pits tu ri non samvite! | two you RI not same-see |
You two don't look alike! |
She looks like our father, and I look like our mother.
Tisomo ri samvite a ekomen viropari, sets eko ri samvite a vemapari.
Marriage
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
| marisyan | marry-day | a wedding |
| anyoyan | year-day | an anniversary |
| vivayan | life-day | a birthday |
| Pikotika | Meaning |
| Tu ri maris, ker? | Are you married? |
| Si. Tisomo ri eko marisomo Popu. | Yes. This is my husband, Bob. |
| Eko ri non maris. | I'm not married. |
| Ekomen ri maris vin in 10 anyo turan. | We've been married for ten years. |
| Tar anyo, ekomen ri maris. | We're getting married next year. |
| Ekomen maris anyoyan ri in tar mese. | Our wedding anniversary is next month. |
| Yer nemyan, eko ri ire ver eko ami marisyan. | Last night I went to my friend's wedding. |
A whole conversation
Alice shows Bob a picture on her phone.
| Pikotika | English |
| Popu: Tis ri tu parimen, ker? | Bob: Is this your family? |
| Aras: Si! Tis ri eko viropari kum eko vemapari. | Alice: Yes! These are my father and mother. |
| Popu: Kum tisomo ri keromo? | Bob: And who's this? |
| Aras: Tisomo ri eko mas anyomeka samparivema Meri. | Alice: That's my older sister, Mary. |
| Popu: Pits tu ri non samvite! | Bob: You two don't look alike! |
| Aras: Ves. Tisomo ri samvite a ekomen viropari, sets eko ri samvite a vemapari. | Alice: True. She looks like our father, and I look like our mother. |
| Popu: Meri ri maris, ker? | Bob: Is Mary married? |
| Aras: Si. Tis ri tisomo marisviro kum tisomo nino. | Alice: Yes. That's her husband, and her kids. |
| Popu: Nino anyoturan ri ker? | Bob: How old are they? |
| Aras: Vironino anyoturan ri 6, kum vemanino ri novanino sista. | Alice: The boy is six, and the girl is still a baby. |
| Aras: Kum tu, ker? Tu ri tene a sampariomo, ker? | Alice: And you? Do you have brothers or sisters? |
| Popu: Non, eko ri tene a nem. Sets eko ri tene a mur pari sampariomo. | Bob: No, none. But I have lots of aunts and uncles. |
| Aras: Tu parimen ri meka! | Alice: Your family is big! |
| Popu: Si. Tar senseyan, pan parimen ri ire ver eko paripari vivayan. | Bob: It is. Next week the whole family is going to my grandma's birthday. |
| Aras: Pam tika a pona vivayan ver tisomo! | Alice: Wish her a happy birthday from me! |
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