お兄さん

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. お兄さん、ありがとう！と妹が言った。▶ —
   "Oniisan, thanks!" said the younger sister.
2. すみません、お兄さん、これいくらですか。▶ —
   Excuse me sir (oniisan), how much is this?

Collocations

Mnemonic

Japanese kinship splits by uchi / soto. Own family → ani (plain); other family, polite reference, or children calling → oniisan (o- + 兄 + -san, three-layer politeness). Also a friendly call for unknown young men at shops or on the street — more natural than English "young man." Talking about your own brother as oniisan to outsiders sounds odd: humility toward your own family is the default. In a job interview say "watashi no ani wa..." Korean oppa / hyeong vs hyeongnim share the split but less systematically. Memorize ani / oniisan as a pair.

Quick check

1. Polite or friendly term for an older brother in another family or an unknown young man?

   • Oniisan — soto / polite
   • Ani — own family
   • Oneesan — older sister
   • Aniki — casual rough