妹
いもうと
hepburn imouto
younger sister
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 妹は私より三歳下です。My younger sister is three years younger than me.
- 妹さんも来ますか。Is your younger sister coming too?
Collocations
妹 (imouto, my younger sister)妹さん (imoutosan, your/his younger sister)姉妹 (shimai, sisters)末娘 (suemusume, youngest daughter)義妹 (gimai, sister-in-law younger)
Mnemonic
妹 imouto — "my younger sister". Honorific: 妹さん (imoutosan). Pairs with 姉 (ane). Onyomi まい (mai): 姉妹 (shimai, sisters), 義妹 (gimai, sister-in-law younger). Kanji breakdown: 女 (woman) + 未 (not yet) = "not-yet-grown woman" → younger sister. In conversation, 妹さん or the name + さん is preferred over plain 妹.
Quick check
Best intuition from the kanji parts of 妹?