Japanese vocabulary · 19 words

Japanese family words

Japanese uses different family words depending on whose family it is. When you talk about your own family to someone outside it, you use the plain, humble words like ちち and はは. When you talk about someone else's family, or address your own parents directly, you use the polite forms like おとうさん and おかあさん.

Examples are written in kana. New to it? Start with the hiragana chart.

Good to know

  • There is no single word for brother or sister: あに is an older brother and おとうと a younger one.
  • To say you have a sibling, you say they exist, with いる: おとうとが いる.
  • People are counted with ひとり, ふたり, then the counter にん: さんにん, よにん.

Your own family

JapaneseKanjiRomajiMeaningAudio
ちち父chichi(my) father
はは母haha(my) mother
あに兄aniolder brother
あね姉aneolder sister
おとうと弟otoutoyounger brother
いもうと妹imoutoyounger sister
きょうだい兄弟kyoudaisiblings

Polite family words

JapaneseKanjiRomajiMeaningAudio
おとうさんお父さんotousanfather
おかあさんお母さんokaasanmother
おじいさん祖父ojiisangrandfather
おばあさんobaasangrandmother, female senior-citizen

People and counting people

JapaneseKanjiRomajiMeaningAudio
おとな大人otonaadult
おんな女onnawoman
おんなのこ女の子onnanokogirl
ひとり一人hitorione person
ふたり二人futaritwo people
さんにん三人san nin3 people
よにん四人yo nin4 people
はたち二十歳hatachi20 years old

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