How to Say "Twins" in Japanese

双子

futago[ɸɯ̟ta̠ɡo̞]

The English phrase "twins" is translated into Japanese as 双子 (futago).

The word 双子 refers to twins.

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of the kanji 双 (sou), meaning 'pair' or 'couple' and 子 (ko), meaning 'child'.

The pronunciation is [futago].

In Japanese folklore and some traditional beliefs, twins were sometimes viewed with suspicion or seen as an omen, leading to different cultural attitudes than in the West.
The word 双子 uses the kanji for 'pair' and 'child' but is pronounced futago, which is a combination of the native Japanese words for 'two' and 'child'.
The sound change from 子 'ko' to 'go' in 双子 is a result of 'rendaku', a linguistic phenomenon where a consonant becomes voiced to make the word easier to pronounce.

本当に双子なの？
Are you really twins?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone is really twins using 双子.
Tatoeba #11825794 by small_snow, translation #9944486 by ddnktr
彼女は双子を産んだ。
She gave birth to twins.
This sentence is useful for describing a person who gave birth to twins using 双子.
Tatoeba #91623 by bunbuku, translation #312090 by CK
あの双子は瓜二つだな。
Those twins look like two peas in a pod.
This sentence is useful for noting that those twins look like two peas in a pod using 双子.
Tatoeba #230644 by bunbuku, translation #68012 by Zifre
Watashitachi wa futago desu (わたしたちはふたごです)
We are twins.
Ano ko wa futago na no? (あの子はふたごなの？)
Is that child a twin?
Watashi mo futago datta yo! (わたしもふたごだったよ！)
I was also a twin!
16 more sentences on Tatoeba

Yui and Ren are looking at a photo of two children.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏