What it means
باجناق (bâjenâgh) describes two men who have married sisters. If Ali is married to Maryam and Reza is married to Maryam’s sister Sara, then Ali and Reza are each other’s bâjenâgh. The word is borrowed from Turkish bacanak, which carries exactly the same meaning. It has no precise English equivalent: the closest translation is “co-brothers-in-law” or “men married to sisters”. In written or formal Persian you might occasionally see the phrase شوهران خواهران (showharân-e khaharân) used instead, but in everyday speech bâjenâgh is universal.
How to use it
- رضا و علی باجناق همدیگهان. (rezâ o ali bâjenâgh-e hamdigeran.) “Reza and Ali are each other’s bâjenâgh.”
- باجناقم فردا از شیراز میاد. (bâjenâgham fardâ az shirâz miâd.) “My bâjenâgh is coming from Shiraz tomorrow.”
- من و اون باجناق شدیم وقتی که اون خواهر زنمو گرفت. (man o oon bâjenâgh shodim vaghti ke oon khâhar-e zanam-o gereft.) “He and I became bâjenâgh when he married my wife’s sister.”
- باجناقهای خوبی برای هم هستن. (bâjenâghâye khubi barâye ham hastan.) “They are good bâjenâgh to each other.”
Cultural note
The bâjenâgh relationship is socially significant in Iranian family culture because it creates a lateral bond between two men who share no blood relation but are brought together through their wives. In close-knit families, bâjenâghs often become genuine friends and confidants, attending the same family gatherings and sharing responsibility for major family decisions. The word’s Turkish origin reflects centuries of Turkic influence on the Persian kinship vocabulary, especially for in-law terms.