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姉 (あね, ane) Japanese meaning: older sister | Kotomora
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い
ます
。
My older sister lives in Tokyo.
My older sister is very good at cooking.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 に 姉あね がいる to have an older sister
I have an older sister who is three years older than me.
姉あね に 似に ている to resemble one's older sister
She's often told that she resembles her older sister.
姉あね として 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something in one's role as an older sister
As the older sister, I look after my little brother.
Kanji 姐 elder sister, maidservant Related words 姉貴 is a rougher, more casual (often male-used) way of saying 姉, carrying a sense of familiarity or even boss-like respect.
姉 is the plain, humble word you use for your own older sister, while お姉さん is the polite, honorific form used both for one's own sister and for other people's.
姉さん is a warmer, more address-like way to refer to or call one's older sister, while 姉 is the plain, neutral word used mainly when talking about her to others.
姉 is the normal Japanese word for one's own older sister, while シスター is a foreign-flavored or context-dependent term rarely used for one's actual sibling.
Opposites 姉 means one's older sister, while 妹 means one's younger sister.
弟 (おと) could denote a younger sister of an older sister, while 姉 denotes an older sister, its direct opposite in that relationship.
Written forms 姉あね Usage 98%
Standard kanji for 'older sister'. High priority in news and common usage.
あね Usage 1%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing, children's materials, or when avoiding kanji.
アネ Usage 1%
姐あね
Rare variant; can appear in older texts or specific names, but 姉 is overwhelmingly preferred.
Etymology The kanji 姉 is a phono-semantic compound with 女 (woman) and the phonetic component 市 (simplified from older forms). The reading あね is native Japanese (kun'yomi).
姉あね 分ぶん
sworn elder sister; woman one looks up to as an older sister
Show 7 more elder sister (honorific)
elder daughter; older daughter
elder sister's husband; brother-in-law
elder sister
older sister; elder sister · young lady; young woman; girl · paper doll of a kimono-clad woman
older sister and her husband
demoiselle crane; Numidian crane
