姉
あね
hepburn ane
older sister (own family)
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 姉は二人います。I have two older sisters.
- お姉さんはきれいですね。Your older sister is pretty.
Collocations
姉 (ane, my older sister — humble)お姉さん (oneesan, your/his older sister — honorific)長姉 (choushi, eldest sister)姉妹 (shimai, sisters)姉貴 (aneki, slangy "big sis")
Mnemonic
姉 ane — "my older sister", humble form. Honorific for others: お姉さん (oneesan). The 兄/姉 pair mirrors the in-group humble; お兄さん/お姉さん is the out-group honorific. Onyomi し (shi): 姉妹 (shimai, sisters). Unlike Korean which splits older-sister terms by the speaker's gender, Japanese uses ane/oneesan for any speaker.
Quick check
How does Japanese ane handle the Korean nuna/eonni split?