'Bhai' is the Hindi/Urdu word for 'brother' and is used widely by South Asian teens as a friendly term of address for a male friend — similar to 'bro' or 'mate'. It has spread beyond South Asian communities online via Indian content creators and rap. 'Bhai, listen' is just 'mate, listen'. It is warm and informal, not religious or political. If your child uses it with non-South-Asian friends they are picking up multicultural youth slang, which is normal. No alarm needed; it is a mark of an internet-influenced friendship group.
bhai
Hindi/Urdu for "brother"; widely used as a friendly address between men regardless of actual relation.
Seen in the wild
Wikipedia: Lage Raho Munna Bhai
Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi reprised their roles as the titular Munna Bhai and Circuit, respectively.
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Firecrawl: Bhai (1997 film) - Wikipedia
Please help [improve this article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Bhai_(1997_film) "Special:EditPage/Bhai (1997 film)") by [adding citations to reliable sources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Refe…
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Firecrawl: Bhai (2013 film) - Wikipedia
This remains the final Telugu film of Gangopadhyay as of May 2026. ## Plot \[ [edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bhai_(2013_film)&action=edit§ion=1 "Edit section: Plot")\] David, a Hong Kong-based d…
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Firecrawl: Bhai - Wikipedia
If an [internal link](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/Bhai&namespace=0) incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
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Wikipedia: Lage Raho Munna Bhai
At the 54th National Film Awards, Lage Raho Munna Bhai won 4 awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Supporting Actor (Dilip Prabhavalkar).
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Definitions
IN
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#1·Apr 23, 2026INCasual
Hindi/Urdu for "brother"; widely used as a friendly address between men regardless of actual relation. Extended into Indian English as a casual "bro."
"Oye bhai, kya haal hai?"
Origin: Sanskrit "bhrātṛ"; shares a root with English "brother."
For parents
'Bhai' is the Hindi/Urdu word for 'brother' and is used widely by South Asian teens as a friendly term of address for a male friend — similar to 'bro' or 'mate'. It has spread beyond South Asian communities online via Indian content creators and rap. 'Bhai, listen' is just 'mate, listen'. It is warm and informal, not religious or political. If your child uses it with non-South-Asian friends they are picking up multicultural youth slang, which is normal. No alarm needed; it is a mark of an internet-influenced friendship group.
For ESL learners
"bhai" is slang. It means: Hindi/Urdu for "brother"; widely used as a friendly address between men regardless of actual relation. Register: casual. Use it in: casual conversation and online posts. Avoid in: formal writing and professional emails.
Cluster: friend
Heard in the wild
“Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi reprised their roles as the titular Munna Bhai and Circuit, respectively.”
“Please help [improve this article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Bhai_(1997_film) "Special:EditPage/Bhai (1997 film)") by [adding citations to reliable sources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners "Help:Referencing for beginners").”
“This remains the final Telugu film of Gangopadhyay as of May 2026. ## Plot \[ [edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bhai_(2013_film)&action=edit§ion=1 "Edit section: Plot")\] David, a Hong Kong-based don, depends heavily on his most skilled and trusted enforcer, Bhai, for day-to-day operations, much to the resentment of David's sons, James and Tony.”
“If an [internal link](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/Bhai&namespace=0) incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.”
“At the 54th National Film Awards, Lage Raho Munna Bhai won 4 awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Supporting Actor (Dilip Prabhavalkar).”
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#2·May 3, 2026INFormal
Bhai (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language action film by Deepak S. Shivdasani
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#3·May 3, 2026INFormal
Bhai (TV series), a Pakistani drama serial
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#4·May 3, 2026INFormal
Bhai: Vyakti Ki Valli 2, the 2019 sequel by Mahesh Manjrekar
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#5·May 3, 2026INFormal
Bhai: Vyakti Ki Valli, a 2019 Indian Marathi-language film by Mahesh Manjrekar
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#6·May 3, 2026INFormal
Bhai (2013 film), an Indian Telugu-language action film by Veerabhadram
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Other words near "bhai" (B)
Browse all slang words starting with B.
Related terms
Semantically related
- bhaiya77%
(especially, North India) friend, dude, man.
- bhaiya76%
elder brother.
- brotherji73%
(India) brother (as a respectful term of address).
- bhaiya71%
(India, slang, ethnic slur, offensive) a Hindu person or Hindi speaker from the Gangetic plains, usually Uttar Pradesh or Bihar.
- yaar70%
Hindi / Urdu for "friend, buddy, man." Sprinkled into Indian English casually the way "mate" or "bro" is — "come on yaar, let's go." Works as address, filler, or emphatic closer. Ubiquitous across South Asian English.