Archive for the "家族" Category

17.Jan.2010 Parents

The Japanese word for one’s parents is 両親 [りょうしん], which literally means “both parents.”  If you want to refer to someone else’s parents, just slap a 御 [ご] honorific prefix on the front of it: 御両親.
Your father is 父 [ちち].  Someone else’s father is お父さん [おとうさん].  Your mother is 母 [はは].  Someone else’s mother is [...]

16.Jan.2010 Siblings

Today we start talking about family.  In Japanese, the word for family is 家族 [かぞく] or “house tribe.”  Let’s start with siblings.
In English, we just refer to our siblings as “brother” and “sister.”  However, there is a plethora of ways to address different members of the family in Japanese.
Sisters
姉 [シ・あね] – Elder sister
妹 [マイ・いもうと] – [...]