弟おとうと

also: てい

お

と

う

と

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

noun

younger brother; little brother

Ordinary family term for a male sibling younger than the reference person. As a standalone word it is normally read おとうと; てい is not the usual everyday reading.

Written forms

弟Usage99%
- おとうと
  Standard, common spelling and reading for 'younger brother' and related family uses.
- てい
  Attested alternate reading. It is not the normal everyday reading for the standalone word; in the 'pupil; apprentice' sense it is archaic.
おとうとUsage1%
Kana spelling is practical in casual, learner-facing, or child-oriented writing, though the kanji 弟 is very common.
ていUsage<1%

Kanji

弟younger brother, faithful service to elders

Similar words

兄あに
Means 'older brother'; the age-direction counterpart to 弟.
義ぎ弟てい
Explicitly means 'younger brother-in-law,' whereas 弟 can mean this only from relationship context.
弟で子し
Modern ordinary word for 'pupil' or 'apprentice'; it replaces the archaic 弟 read てい in this sense.

Etymology

弟 is the conventional kanji for 'younger brother.' おとうと is the common native Japanese reading, while てい is a Sino-Japanese reading; the deeper historical derivation of おとうと is uncertain here.