従じゅう兄けい

also: いとこ

じゅ

う

け

い

JLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

older male cousin

Specifically refers to a male cousin who is older than the speaker. Compare 従弟 (younger male cousin), 従姉 (older female cousin), and 従妹 (younger female cousin).

Kanji

従accompany, obey, submit to
兄elder brother, big brother

Related words

いとこN3
いとこ is the neutral, everyday word for any cousin regardless of age or gender, while 従兄 specifically means an older male cousin.

Opposites

従弟いとこ
従兄 refers to an older male cousin, while 従弟 refers to a younger male cousin.

Don't confuse with

従姉いとこ
従兄 and 従姉 look similar in kanji but 従兄 is an older male cousin while 従姉 is an older female cousin.
従妹いとこ
従兄 and 従妹 are easy to mix up in writing, but 従兄 is an older male cousin while 従妹 is a younger female cousin.

Counted with

人にん
counter for people

Word family

再さい従じゅう兄けい
elder second cousin

Written forms

従兄Usage100%
- じゅうけい
  Standard kanji spelling for an older male cousin.
- いとこ
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

Etymology

Compound of 従 (じゅう, 'follow; secondary') and 兄 (けい, 'older brother'), literally 'secondary older brother', reflecting the traditional kinship hierarchy.

いとこ

gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the specific cousin relationship is clear from context or not important.