Japanese family game
Twenty-one entries, and twelve of them are the same six people twice. Haha, chichi, ane, ani, sobo and sofu are how you refer to your own mother, father, older sister, older brother and grandparents. Okāsan, otōsan, onēsan, onīsan, obāsan and ojīsan are how you refer to someone else's, and how you address your own.
21 words 5 games Free · no signup
Five games take this set. Kraken Escape is the right one, because it puts a word against a meaning and asks whether the pair is right, which is exactly the judgement the two-set system demands.
The 21 words you will practise
| Japanese | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| 母 ははhaha | my mother | HAH-hah |
| 父 ちちchichi | my father | CHEE-chee |
| 姉 あねane | my older sister | AH-neh |
| 妹 いもうとimōto | my younger sister | ee-MOH-toh |
| 兄 あにani | my older brother | AH-nee |
| 弟 おとうとotōto | my younger brother | oh-TOH-toh |
| 祖母 そぼsobo | my grandmother | SOH-boh |
| 祖父 そふsofu | my grandfather | SOH-foo |
| お母さん おかあさんokāsan | mother | oh-KAH-sahn |
| お父さん おとうさんotōsan | father | oh-TOH-sahn |
| お姉さん おねえさんonēsan | older sister | oh-NEH-sahn |
| お兄さん おにいさんonīsan | older brother | oh-NEE-sahn |
| おばあさんobāsan | grandmother | oh-BAH-sahn |
| おじいさんojīsan | grandfather | oh-JEE-sahn |
| 家族 かぞくkazoku | family | KAH-zoh-koo |
| 両親 りょうしんryōshin | parents | RYOH-sheen |
| 子供 こどもkodomo | child | koh-DOH-moh |
| 娘 むすめmusume | daughter | moo-SOO-meh |
| 息子 むすこmusuko | son | moo-SOO-koh |
| 妻 つまtsuma | my wife | TSOO-mah |
| 夫 おっとotto | my husband | OHT-toh |
Want the explanations rather than the drill? Read the Japanese family lesson.
5 games run on this set
- Sky Rescue: 10 rounds
- Pop Quiz: 10 rounds
- Kraken Escape: 48 rounds
- Warp Run: 10 rounds
- Flooded Hold: 6 rounds
Questions
Why are there two words for mother?
Japanese distinguishes talking about your own family from talking about someone else's. Haha is my mother, said to an outsider. Okāsan is your mother, and it is also what you call your own mother to her face. The humble form is for describing, the polite form for addressing.
Why do older and younger siblings get different words?
Because Japanese marks relative age. Ane is an older sister, imōto a younger one; ani an older brother, otōto a younger one. There is no word that just means sister, so the age comes along whether you meant to say it or not.
Kazoku or ryōshin?
Kazoku is the family as a whole. Ryōshin is specifically both parents, the pair. Both are in the set, and ryōshin has no single-word English equivalent.
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