兄
[a̠ɲ̟i]
The Japanese phrase for big brother is 兄, which is used to describe a male sibling who is older than the speaker.
Depending on the relationship and level of politeness, various forms like お兄さん or お兄ちゃん are used to address them or refer to them.
Which one should you use?
Use 兄 (ani) when you are speaking humbly about your own older brother to someone outside of your family. Use お兄さん (oniisan) to refer to someone else's older brother or to address your own brother directly. For a less formal way to address your own brother, you can use 兄さん (niisan).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 兄さん (niisan) can be used as a common, slightly less formal way to address one's own older brother directly.
Did you know?
- While English users often call out 'Hey, brother!', Japanese speakers often use the much more polite お兄さん (oniisan) to address a young man they do not know at all, such as a shop assistant.
- The word 兄 (ani) may have originally been a way of saying 'my eldest sibling' by combining the ancient first-person pronoun 'a' with a possessive particle and a word for 'eldest'.
- The concept of 'big brother' in Japanese often carries an implied social responsibility to protect and guide younger siblings.
Examples in context
- 私の兄は音楽が好きだ。My big brother likes music.This sentence is useful for describing someone's musical preferences using 兄.Tatoeba #163806 by bunbuku, translation #5143947 by Airvian
- トムには兄が一人います。Tom has a big brother.This sentence is useful for stating how many older brothers a person has using 兄.Tatoeba #10280336 by small_snow, translation #10287838 by CK
- 君はお兄さんにそっくりだよ。You look just like your big brother.This sentence is useful for describing a physical resemblance to an older brother using 兄.Tatoeba #177890 by bunbuku, translation #16743 by Swift
- 私の兄は優しいです。My older brother is kind.
- お兄さん、お元気ですか？Big brother, how are you?
- 兄上、お土産買ってきたよ。Big bro, I bought you a souvenir.
- おい、兄貴！夜ご飯どこに行く？Hey, bro! Where are going for dinner?
- お兄ちゃん、暇？Big bro, are you free?
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about their families over coffee.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さんの兄は、大学生ですか？Yui-san no ani wa, daigakusei desu ka?Is your big brother a college student, Yui?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、兄は来年卒業します。Hai, ani wa rainen sotsugyou shimasu.Yes, my big brother is graduating next year.
- 蓮 Renそれは楽しみですね。Sore wa tanoshimi desu ne.That is something to look forward to.
- 結衣 Yuiええ、蓮さんもお兄さんがいますか？Ee, Ren-san mo oniisan ga imasu ka?Yes, do you have a big brother too, Ren?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 兄, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 兄, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
