Basic Japanese Vocabulary – Family

Japanese Vocabulary: Family – Review Notes

Today we learned some basic family vocabulary in Japanese! Let’s go over what we learned today and then we will see a list of extra Japanese family vocabulary.

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Number 1:

★　家族 (kazoku) means family in Japanese.

★　A formal way to say family when talking about someone else’s family is ご家族 (gokazoku).

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Example 1:

あなたのご家族は何人家族ですか？

Anata no gokazoku wa nannin kazoku desu ka?

How many members are there in your family?

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Example 2:

私の家族は六人家族です。

Watashi no kazoku wa rokunin kazoku desu.

My family is a six-person family.

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Number 2:

★　Mother in Japanese is お母さん (okaasan)!

★　When talking about your mother to other people in formal speech you should use 母 (haha) instead.

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Example 1:

あなたのお母さんはどんな人ですか。

Anata no okaasan wa donna hito desu ka?

What kind of a person is your mother?

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Example 2:

私の母はとても優しい人です。

Watashi no haha wa totemo yasashii hito desu.

My mother is a very kind person.

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Number 3:

★　The Japanese word for father is お父さん (otousan).

★　When talking about your father to other people in formal speech you should use 父 (chichi) instead.

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Example 1:

あなたのお父さんはどんな人ですか。

Anata no otousan wa donna hito desu ka?

What kind of a person is your father?

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Example 2:

私の父はまじめな人です。

Watashi no chichi wa majime na hito desu.

My father is a serious person.

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Number 4:

★　The Japanese word for older brother is お兄さん (oniisan).

★　When talking about your older brother to other people in formal speech, you should use 兄 (ani) instead.

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Example 1:

あなたのお兄さんは何歳ですか。

Anata no oniichan wa nansai desu ka?

How old is your older brother?

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Example 2:

私の兄は二十五歳です。

Watashi no ani wa nijūgosai desu.

My older brother is 25 years old.

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Number 5:

★　The Japanese word for younger brother is 弟 (otouto).

★　When talking about someone else’s younger brother in formal speech, you should say 弟さん (otoutosan).

★　People usually do not address their younger brother with this word. Instead, they just use their name.

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Example 1:

弟さんは何歳ですか。

Otoutosan wa nansai desu ka?

How old is your younger brother?

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Example 2:

僕の弟は五歳です。

Boku no otouto wa gosai desu.

My younger brother is 5 years old.

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Number 6:

★　The Japanese word for older sister is お姉さん (oneesan).

★　When talking about your older sister to other people in formal speech you should use 姉 (ane) instead.

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Example 1:

あなたのお姉さんは大学生ですか。

Anata no oneesan wa daigakusei desu ka?

Is your older sister a college student?

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Example 2:

私の姉は高校生です。

Watashi no ane wa koukousei desu.

My older sister is a high school student.

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Number 7:

★　The Japanese word for younger sister is 妹 (imouto).

★　When talking about someone else’s younger sister in formal speech, you should say 妹さん (imoutosan).

★　People usually do not address their younger sister with this word. Instead, they just use their name.

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Example 1:

妹さんは小学生ですか。

Imoutosan wa shougakusei desu ka?

Is your little sister an elementary school student?

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Example 2:

私の妹は中学生です。

Watashi no imouto wa chuugakusei desu.

My little sister is a junior high school student.

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More Family Vocabulary:

兄弟　　　　　kyoudai　　　  brothers/siblings

姉妹　　　　　shimai　　　　sisters

双子　　　　　futago　　　　 twins

息子　　　　　musuko　　　  son

娘　　　　　　musume　　　daughter

姪　　　　　　mei　　 　 　　niece

甥　　　　　　oi　　　 　　　nephew

叔母　　　　　oba　　　 　　aunt

叔父　　　　　oji　　 　　 　 uncle

いとこ　　　　itoko　　　　  cousin

おじいさん　　ojiisan　　　  grandpa

おばあさん　　obaasan　　   grandma

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Conclusion:

We learned a lot of Japanese family vocabulary today! If you have any questions about how to use these words or if you want to know any other family vocabulary that we have not listed, leave a comment below!

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