妹がいます
The phrase for "i have a younger sister" in Japanese is 妹がいます.
If you want to specify that she was born quite recently, you can say chotto mae ni umareta imouto ga imasu to mean "I have a sister who was born a little while ago."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 妹がいます is composed of 妹 (imouto – younger sister), が (ga – subject marker) and います (imasu – to exist/to have for living things).
Which one should you use?
The phrase 妹がいます focuses on the existence of the sister.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal settings, you can say imouto ga imasu to express "I have a younger sister". For an even more casual way to say this to friends or family, you can use the informal imouto ga iru.
Did you know?
- When talking about your own younger sister to others, you use imouto, but you would never call your sister imouto when speaking directly to her. Instead, you would use her name or a nickname.
- In Japanese, you cannot use imouto to refer to someone else's younger sister. To be polite, you must add the honorific suffix san to create imouto-san.
- While imouto refers specifically to a biological younger sister, it is sometimes used to describe a close female friend who is younger and feels like a sister.
Examples in context
- 妹がいます。Imouto ga imasu.I have a younger sister.
- 実は、妹がいます。Jitsu wa, imouto ga imasu.Actually, I have a younger sister.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their families in a classroom.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵さんは兄弟がいますか？Himari-san wa kyoudai ga imasu ka?Himari, do you have siblings?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、妹がいます。Hai, imouto ga imasu.Yes, I have a younger sister.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうなんですね。Sou nan desu ne.I see.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔さんは？Hiroto-san wa?How about you, Hiroto?
