What it means
شوهرخاله (shohar-khâle) literally means “maternal aunt’s husband” and is the standard way to refer to the man married to your khâle (your mother’s sister). The word is a compound: shohar comes from Middle Persian and means husband, while khâle is borrowed from Arabic and means maternal aunt. Together they form a single kinship term used naturally in everyday speech. Persian names every in-law relationship precisely, so shohar-khâle has its own slot rather than being folded into a vaguer phrase like “uncle by marriage.”
How to use it
- شوهرخالهام اسمش داریوشه. (shohar-khâle-am esm-esh Daryush-e.) “My maternal aunt’s husband is named Daryush.”
- دیشب با شوهرخاله رفتیم شام. (dishab bâ shohar-khâle raftim shâm.) “Last night we went to dinner with my aunt’s husband.”
- شوهرخالهت کِی اومد؟ (shohar-khâle-t key umad?) “When did your aunt’s husband arrive?”
- شوهرخالهام خیلی مهربونه. (shohar-khâle-am khyli mehrabun-e.) “My maternal aunt’s husband is very kind.”
Cultural note
In Iranian family culture the maternal and paternal sides are kept distinct in vocabulary, so the husband of your maternal aunt (khâle) has a different term from the husband of your paternal aunt (ammeh), who is called shohar-ammeh. Knowing which side of the family a relative belongs to signals social closeness: khâle relatives are traditionally considered emotionally warmer, a perception that shows up in proverbs and everyday speech. When addressing this person directly, Iranians usually use his first name or the respectful title âghâ followed by his name rather than the compound kinship term.