お兄さん

Japanese

Kanji in this term

兄

Noun

お兄さん (hiragana おにいさん, romaji oniisan)

1. elder brother
   • あなたにはお兄さんがいますか？
   • anata ni wa oniisan ga imasuka?
   • Do you have any elder brothers?

Pronoun

お兄さん (hiragana おにいさん, romaji oniisan)

1. you, he,him (a non-aged male stranger)
   • お兄さんはどこからきましたか？
   • oniisan wa doko kara kimashita ka?
   • where are you from?

Usage notes

お兄さん is a polite word, mostly used in a talking about a person's elder brother. Japanese people tend to use 兄 (ani) when referring to their own elder brother. Japanese kids tend to use お兄ちゃん (oniichan) or 兄ちゃん when referring to their elder brother.

Synonyms

兄 (あに, ani) お兄ちゃん (おにいちゃん, oniichan)

兄ちゃん (にいちゃん, niichan)

Antonyms

弟さん (おとうとさん, otōtosan): younger brother (polite)

弟 (おとうと, otōto): younger brother

Related terms

お姉さん (おねえさん, onēsan): elder sister (polite) 姉 (あね, ane): elder sister

妹さん (いもうとさん, imōtosan): younger sister (polite) 妹 (いもうと, imōto): younger sister