姉

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 姉は二人います。▶ —
   I have two older sisters.
2. お姉さんはきれいですね。▶ —
   Your older sister is pretty.

Collocations

Mnemonic

あね — 姉, Sino-Japanese. The sister word to 兄 ani. The same rules apply — your own family: 姉 ane (humble). someone else's family: お姉さん oneesan (honorific). Watch the size change — the prefix お and suffix さん instantly move the family from inside to outside. The onyomi is し shi ── 姉妹 shimai (sisters). Sister to the Korean reading ja and the Chinese jiě. The same difference from Korean as 兄 — Japanese 姉 does not mark the speaker's gender. Where Korean splits older-sister terms into nuna (male speaker) and eonni (female speaker), Japanese uses one pair, 姉 / お姉さん, for any speaker. The kanji 姉 is 女 (woman) + 市 (market) — by one folk etymology, the eldest woman, the one who goes first to the market, came to name the older sister.

Quick check

1. How does Japanese ane handle the Korean nuna/eonni split?

   • Speaker gender is irrelevant — both say ane
   • Only male speakers say ane
   • Only female speakers say ane
   • Choice depends on age gap