Family Words and Terms in Japanese, Pronunciation, Kanji meaning

Before reading this article

• Memorizing the example sentences entirety is the first step to understanding Japanese.
• If you are a beginner in Japanese, you can easily memorize hiragana and katakana by viewing them multiple times at the same time.
• This article also has audio, so be sure to check it out.

家族 (かぞく) -ka zo ku- Family

pronunciation	ka zo ku
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	かぞく
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	カゾク
漢字（ka n ji）	家族
meaning	Family

Kanji Meanings

＊ 家（いえ） (i e) = house

Example

母 - ha ha - Mother

pronunciation	ha ha, o ka a sa n, ma ma
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	はは, おかあさん, まま
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	ハハ, オカアサン, ママ
漢字（ka n ji）	母（はは）, お母（かあ）さん, まま
meaning	mother, mother, mom

In Japanese, “mother” can be said in a few different ways depending on the level of formality and the context:

1.母 (はは, Haha)
This is a more formal or humble way to refer to your own mother, often used when speaking to others about her, rather than directly addressing her.

2.お母さん (おかあさん, Okaasan)
This is the polite and common way to say “mother.” It is used when referring to someone else’s mother or when addressing your own mother respectfully. People who were born during the Shouwa or  Heisei era typically refer to their mothers in this way.

3.ママ(まま、mama)
This is casual and common way to say “mom.” It is used when addressing your own mom. Nowadays, the younger generation uses this word to refer to their mothers.

父（ちち） - chi chi - Father

pronunciation	chi chi, o to u sa n, pa pa
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	ちち, おとうさん, ぱぱ
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	チチ, オトウサン, パパ
漢字（ka n ji）	父（ちち）, お父（とう）さん, ぱぱ
meaning	Father, Father, dad

In Japanese, “father” can be said in a few different ways depending on the level of formality and the context:

1.父 (ちち,chi chi)
This is a more formal or humble way to refer to your own father, often used when speaking to others about her, rather than directly addressing her.

2.お父さん (おとうさん, o to u sa n)
This is the polite and common way to say “father.” It is used when referring to someone else’s father or when addressing your own father respectfully.
People who were born during the Shouwa or  Heisei era typically refer to their mothers in this way.

3.パパ (ぱぱ, pa pa)
This is the casual and common way to say “dad.” It is used when addressing your own dad.
Nowadays, the younger generation uses this word to refer to their fathers.

姉（あね） - a ne - older sister

pronunciation	a ne, o ne e cha n
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	あね,おねえちゃん
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	アネ,オネエチャン
漢字（ka n ji）	姉（あね）, お姉（ねえ）ちゃん
meaning	older sister

"ane" and "Onee-chan" are both terms used in Japanese to refer to older sisters, but they have different connotations and contexts.

1.姉 (あね, a ne)
This is a more formal or standard way to refer to your own older sister, often used when speaking to others about her, rather than directly addressing her.

2.お姉ちゃん (おねえちゃん, o ne e cha n )
This is a more casual and affectionate way to refer to an older sister. It's often used by younger siblings and can convey warmth or familiarity. It’s also popular in anime and manga.

妹 （いもうと）- i mo u to - younger sister

pronunciation	i mo u to
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	いもうと
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	イモウト
漢字（ka n ji）	妹（いもうと）
meaning	younger sister, little sister

お兄（にい）ちゃん - o ni i cha n - older brother

pronunciation	o ni i cha n
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	おにいちゃん
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	オニイチャン
漢字（ka n ji）	お兄（にい）ちゃん
meaning	older brother

1.兄 (あに, a ni)
This is a more formal or standard way to refer to your own older brother, often used when speaking to others about her, rather than directly addressing her.

2.お兄ちゃん (おにいちゃん, o ni i cha n )
This is a more casual and affectionate way to refer to an older brother. It's often used by younger siblings and can convey warmth or familiarity. It’s also popular in anime and manga.

In Japanese, an older brother is typically referred to as "oni-chan" (お兄ちゃん) in a casual and affectionate way.

弟（おとうと） - o to u to - younger brother

pronunciation	o to u to
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	おとうと
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	オトウト
漢字（ka n ji）	弟（おとうと）
meaning	young brother, little brother

娘（むすめ） - musume - daughter

pronunciation	mu su me
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	むすめ
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	ムスメ
漢字（ka n ji）	娘（むすめ）
meaning	daughter

息子（むすこ） - musuko - son

pronunciation	mu su ko
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	むすこ
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	ムスコ
漢字（ka n ji）	息子（むすこ）
meaning	son

おばあちゃん - o ba a cha n - grand mother

pronunciation	o ba a cha n
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	おばあちゃん
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	オバアチャン
漢字（ka n ji）	お婆 (ばあ) ちゃん
meaning	grand mother, grandma

おじいちゃん - o ji i cha n - grand father

pronunciation	o ji i cha n
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	おじいちゃん
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	オジイチャン
漢字（ka n ji）	お爺 (じい) ちゃん
meaning	grand father, grandpa

おば - o ba - aunt

pronunciation	o ba
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	おば
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	オバ
漢字（ka n ji）	叔母 (おば)
meaning	aunt

おじ - o ji - uncle

pronunciation	o ji
ひらがな（hi ra ga na）	おじ
カタカナ（ka ta ka na）	オジ
漢字（ka n ji）	叔父 (おじ)
meaning	uncle