姉妹が2人います
shimai ga futari imasu
The English phrase "I have two sisters" is expressed in Japanese as 姉妹が2人います (shimai ga futari imasu).
This phrase is used to state that a person has two female siblings. In Japanese, the phrase 'I have [people]' is expressed as '[People] exist' (shimai ga futari imasu).
What does it mean word for word?
The breakdown of the phrase is as follows: 姉妹 (shimai) means "sisters". 2人 (futari) is a specific counter used for "two people". And います (imasu) is the polite verb meaning "to exist."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The version 姉妹が2人います is polite and suitable for most social situations. If you are speaking with friends or family, you can use the informal version 姉妹が2人いる by replacing the polite verb with the casual form いる.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, the concept of "having" people is expressed by stating that those people exist. The verb います is used specifically because sisters are living, animate beings.
How do you pronounce it?
shimai ga futari imasu
Did you know?
- When describing a group of sisters that includes yourself, Japanese speakers use the total number of sisters in the family. If you have two sisters and are a girl, you would say you are part of 三姉妹 (three sisters).
- While you use humble terms for your own sisters, you must add さん (san) to the terms for someone else's sisters to avoid being rude. This creates two entirely different vocabularies for the same family role.
- The kanji for 'sister' in 姉妹 (shimai) are actually two different words, 姉 (older sister) and 妹 (younger sister), combined to create a single concept.
Examples in context
- 姉妹が2人います。shimai ga futari imasu.I have two sisters.
- 実は姉妹が2人います。jitsu wa shimai ga futari imasu.Actually, I have two sisters.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their families in a cafe.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんは兄弟がいますか？Youta-san wa kyoudai ga imasu ka?Youta, do you have any siblings?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、姉妹が2人います。Hai, shimai ga futari imasu.Yes, I have two sisters.
- 結衣 Yuiそうなんですね。賑やかそうですね！Sou nan desu ne. Nigiyaka sou desu ne!I see. It sounds like it would be lively!
- 陽太 Yota結衣さんの家族はどうですか？Yui-san no kazoku wa dou desu ka?How about your family, Yui?
