Family Words in Japanese
Japanese has two words for every family member. Which one you use depends on whose family you are talking about, and there is no way around learning both.
Your own family
-
母 はは haha
HAH-hah
-
my mother
-
父 ちち chichi
CHEE-chee
-
my father
-
姉 あね ane
AH-neh
-
my older sister
-
妹 いもうと imōto
ee-MOH-toh
-
my younger sister
-
兄 あに ani
AH-nee
-
my older brother
-
弟 おとうと otōto
oh-TOH-toh
-
my younger brother
-
祖母 そぼ sobo
SOH-boh
-
my grandmother
-
祖父 そふ sofu
SOH-foo
-
my grandfather
Someone else's family, and how children address their own
-
お母さん おかあさん okāsan
oh-KAH-sahn
-
mother
-
お父さん おとうさん otōsan
oh-TOH-sahn
-
father
-
お姉さん おねえさん onēsan
oh-NEH-sahn
-
older sister
-
お兄さん おにいさん onīsan
oh-NEE-sahn
-
older brother
-
おばあさん obāsan
oh-BAH-sahn
-
grandmother
-
おじいさん ojīsan
oh-JEE-sahn
-
grandfather
The rest of the family
-
家族 かぞく kazoku
KAH-zoh-koo
-
family
-
両親 りょうしん ryōshin
RYOH-sheen
-
parents
-
子供 こども kodomo
koh-DOH-moh
-
child
-
娘 むすめ musume
moo-SOO-meh
-
daughter
-
息子 むすこ musuko
moo-SOO-koh
-
son
-
妻 つま tsuma
TSOO-mah
-
my wife
奥さん okusan for someone else's wife
-
夫 おっと otto
OHT-toh
-
my husband
ご主人 goshujin for someone else's husband
Two sets of words, and no word for sister
Talking about your own family to an outsider, use the plain set: haha, chichi, ane. Talking about someone else's family, or addressing your own mother directly, use the polite set: okāsan, otōsan, onēsan.
Saying watashi no okāsan about your own mother to a stranger is the classic learner slip. It is not rude exactly, but it sounds like you are honouring your own family, which Japanese modesty avoids.
There is no general word for sister or brother. Older and younger are entirely different words, and you have to know which before you can say it at all.
The o- at the front and the -san at the end are the politeness. Strip them and you get the plain forms, which is why the two sets look related once you see the pattern.
- 母は先生です。My mother is a teacher.
- お母さんは元気ですか。How is your mother?
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