Blood relationships are the relationships formed by marriage and birth of offspring to the couple that gets married. There are many different relationships in addition to brother, sister, mother and father that are important even in times of nuclear families. Terms like cousins, nephews, nieces etc. are as relevant and important today as they were in old times when joint families were the norm. Younger generation finds it difficult to differentiate between nephew and niece just because they are not exposed to these relations in present times because of couples producing a single offspring instead of several. This article explains the difference between nephew and niece to let readers know the person that is being referred to when either of these terms is used to address the individual.
Nephew
If you have a brother or a sister, his or her son will be your nephew. If you have both a brother and a sister, their sons are your nephews. This applies to the spouses of brothers and sisters too. This means that if you have the wife of your brother present in a function along with her son, you still refer to the child as your nephew. The sons of your spouse’s brothers and sisters are also your nephews.
Niece
The daughter of your brother or sister is your niece, and if you have both a brother and a sister, and they happen to have daughters, you have these offspring that are termed as your nieces. The daughters of your spouse’s brothers and sisters are also your nieces.
What is the difference between Niece and Nephew?
• The difference between nephew and niece is one of gender as the son of your brother is your nephew while his daughter is your niece.
• Do not confuse nephew with cousin as your cousin is the son of your uncle or aunt.