お兄さん
onī-san[o̞ɲ̟iːsã̠ɴ]
The Japanese word for "older brother" is お兄さん (onī-san).
お兄さん is used to refer to someone else's older brother. When speaking to people outside of your family about your own older brother, you should typically use the humble form 兄.
Meaning: single-word translations (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The core word for older brother is 兄 (ani). The form お兄さん builds upon this by adding honorific prefixes and suffixes.
Which one should you use?
While お兄さん is used for someone else's brother, 兄 is the humble form used for your own brother when talking to strangers or people of higher status. Other informal variations include 兄ちゃん, お兄ちゃん, 兄さん and the more childish にーに.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お兄さん is a formal way to address or talk about an older brother. In contrast, 兄 is a formal, humble form used when discussing your own brother with outsiders. For informal settings, you can use 兄さん, the friendly 兄ちゃん, the affectionate お兄ちゃん or the cute and childish にーに.
How do you pronounce it?
onī-san
Did you know?
- The term お兄さん is frequently used as a generic way to address a young man working in service industries, such as a waiter or a shop assistant.
- In certain contexts, a young woman might call her boyfriend お兄さん or お兄ちゃん to express a sense of closeness or playfulness.
- In some regional dialects, particularly in Osaka, the childish にーに is used more frequently by adults than in standard Tokyo Japanese.
Examples in context
- お兄さんは何歳ですか？How old is your older brother?This sentence is useful for asking about the age of someone's お兄さん.Tatoeba #11140874 by small_snow, translation #11145413 by CK
- 君はお兄さんにそっくりだよ。You look just like your older brother.This sentence is useful for describing a resemblance to someone's お兄さん.Tatoeba #177890 by bunbuku, translation #1396428 by CK
- トムにはお兄さんがいますか？Does Tom have an older brother?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has an お兄さん.Tatoeba #8794930 by small_snow, translation #5377045 by CK
- お兄さん、お元気ですか？How are you, older brother?
- 兄ちゃん、一緒に遊ぼう！Let's play together, big bro!
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their families.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵さんのお兄さんは優しいですか？Himari-san no oniisan wa yasashii desu ka?Is your older brother kind, Himari?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、とても優しいです。Hai, totemo yasashii desu.Yes, he is very kind.
- 蓮 Renそれはよかったですね。Sore wa yokatta desu ne.That's good to hear.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さんも、お兄さんがいますか？Ren-san mo, oniisan ga imasu ka?Ren, do you have an older brother too?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry お兄さん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
