What is the Kanji for "Older sister"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Older sister", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Older sister" is "姉".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Ane" and "Nee".

Its onyomi reading is "Shi".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "女" means "Woman" and can be read as "Jo", "Nyo", "Onna", and "Me". And The kanji "市" means "City" and "Market" and can be read as "Shi" and "Ichi".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "姉" mean in japanese?

"姉" means "Older sister" .

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

お姉さん: "Older sister". The Japanese noun 'お姉さん (おねえさん)' means 'older sister'. This honorific term is used to refer to an older female sibling. It can also be used more broadly to address any older woman, especially one who is respected or looked up to. For example: My older sister is very kind - (私の姉はとても優しいです). Please help me, older sister - (お姉さん、お手伝いください).

姉: "Older sister". The Japanese noun '姉 (あね)' refers to an older sister. This is a familial term used to address or refer to a female sibling who is older than oneself. It conveys a sense of respect and closeness within the family. For example: My older sister is very kind - (私の姉はとてもやさしい). She is my older sister - (彼女は私の姉です).

姉さん: "Older sister". The Japanese noun '姉さん (ねえさん)' refers to an 'older sister'. This term is used as a polite way to address or refer to an older female sibling. It can also be used more broadly to refer to any older woman, especially one who is respected or in a position of authority. For example: My older sister is coming home today - (私の姉さんが今日帰ってきます). Thank you, Miss - (ありがとうございます、姉さん).

姉妹: "Sisters". The Japanese noun '姉妹 (しまい)' refers to two or more female siblings, i.e. sisters. It can be used to describe the relationship between sisters, or to simply refer to a group of sisters. For example: My two sisters - (私の姉妹). The sisters are very close - (その姉妹は非常に仲が良い).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "し" is read as "shi". The hiragana "あ" is read as "a". The hiragana "ね" is read as "ne". And The hiragana "え" is read as "e".