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How to say 'Sister' in Japanese | 姉さん

Wondering how to say 'Sister' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Sister is 'Neesan', written as 姉さん in Japanese.'Sister' in hiragana is ねえさん.

    word

    姉さん

    Meaning

    Sister

    Reading

    ねえさん

    neesan

    Kanji

    姉Older sister

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '姉さん (ねえさん)' refers to an older sister. It is a respectful and affectionate term used to address or refer to one's own older sister or someone else's older sister. This term is commonly used in both formal and informal settings. For example: My sister is kind「私の姉さんは優しい」(わたしのねえさんはやさしい). Your sister is very beautiful「あなたの姉さんはとてもきれいです」(あなたのねえさんはとてもきれいです). It's important to note that '姉さん' can also be used to address older women in a respectful manner, similar to 'miss' or 'ma'am' in English, especially in service contexts like restaurants or shops.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N4

    Kanji Grade

    2

    Frequency

    1242

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 姉さん

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    姉

    Meaning

    Older sister

Hiragana in the Word 姉さん

This word contains 2 Hiragana characters :

  • hiragana

    さ

    Reading

    Sa

  • hiragana

    ん

    Reading

    N

Words Related to 姉さん Through the Kanji 姉

These 3 Words contain the Kanji 姉 as well.

  • word

    お姉さん

    Meaning

    Older sister

  • word

    姉

    Meaning

    Older sister

  • word

    姉妹

    Meaning

    Sisters

Learn the Word 姉さん

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What does 'Neesan' (姉さん) mean?

'Neesan' means 'Sister' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.