Japanese Symbol for
兄ani
older brother
Readings
Meaning
Older brother. Japanese uniquely distinguishes older and younger siblings with separate words. 兄 (ani) is the humble/plain form used when referring to your own older brother.
Example words
兄弟
kyōdai
siblings, brothers
兄貴
aniki
older bro (casual/yakuza)
実兄
jikkei
one's own older brother
長兄
chōkei
eldest brother
Japanese sibling vocabulary encodes birth order: 兄 (ani) = older brother, 弟 (otōto) = younger brother, 姉 (ane) = older sister, 妹 (imōto) = younger sister. There's no single word for "sibling" that ignores age — even 兄弟 (kyōdai) literally means "older brother + younger brother." This reflects the cultural importance of birth order in Japanese society.
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