姉
[a̠ne̞]
The Japanese phrase for "my older sister" is 姉.
姉 is used to refer to your own older sister. While English speakers use the adjective "older" to specify seniority, Japanese uses a specific word for an older sister to distinguish her from younger siblings.
Which one should you use?
The term 姉 is used when referring to your own older sister to someone else in a humble or neutral manner. In contrast, if you are addressing your own sister directly or if you are referring to someone else's older sister, you would use the polite term お姉さん.
How does it change in a sentence?
姉 is a noun and does not change its form to indicate whether you are talking about one sister or multiple sisters. Plurality is determined by the context or by using specific counters.
Did you know?
- In many Japanese households, you might never actually call your older sister by her name. Instead, it is much more common to address her using the polite title お姉さん or even a shortened version like お姉ちゃん.
- While 'older sister' is the literal meaning, in some social contexts, a younger woman might call a slightly older female acquaintance お姉さん as a friendly way to show respect and closeness.
- The word 姉 is believed to have evolved from an ancient compound of the words for 'my' and 'elder sibling'. This complex linguistic transformation turned the phrase 'my elder sibling' into the single word we use today.
Examples in context
- 姉は二つ上です。My older sister has two years over me.This sentence is useful for stating the age difference using 姉.Tatoeba #11047983 by small_snow, translation #10528775 by DJ_Saidez
- 彼女は私の姉です。She's my older sister.This sentence is useful for identifying someone as one's 姉.Tatoeba #89377 by bunbuku, translation #469125 by CK
- 私の姉は婚約した。My older sister got engaged.This sentence is useful for describing an event involving one's 姉.Tatoeba #164392 by bunbuku, translation #1034608 by CK
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui is showing a photo of her family to Daigaku.
- 結衣 Yuiこの人は私の姉です。Kono hito wa watashi no ane desu.This person is my older sister.
- 大翔 Hirotoとても似ていますね。Totemo nite imasu ne.You look very much alike.
- 結衣 Yuiそうかな？姉はもっと優しいよ。Sō kana? Ane wa motto yasashii yo.You think so? My older sister is much kinder.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいお姉さんですね。Ii onēsan desu ne.She sounds like a great older sister.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 姉, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 姉, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
