Japanese Symbol for
姉ane
older sister
Readings
Meaning
Older sister, elder sister. 姉 (ane) is the humble form used when referring to your own older sister. お姉さん (onee-san) is used when addressing her directly, or referring to someone else's older sister.
Example words
お姉さん
onee-san
older sister, young woman (polite)
姉妹
shimai
sisters
姉上
aneue
older sister (old/literary honorific)
実姉
jisshi
one's own older sister
義姉
gishi
sister-in-law (older)
長姉
chōshi
eldest sister
Japanese sibling vocabulary is built around birth order: 兄 (ani) = older brother, 弟 (otōto) = younger brother, 姉 (ane) = older sister, 妹 (imōto) = younger sister. お姉さん (onee-san) is also used as a polite way to address any young woman — similar to "miss" in English.
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