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お姉さん

Older Sister


Meaning

Older Sister, Miss

Word Type

noun

Explanation

The お makes the word more polite. You're elevating the "older sister" title because you're a good younger sibling. Otherwise, the meaning of this word is the same as the kanji - just the feeling is different. You can also use this word to refer to a youthful-looking woman that you don't know, as in "Excuse me miss!"


Reading

おねえさん

Explanation

The reading is different too. It has some hiragana attached to it, which is a clue that this uses a kun'yomi reading. Let's use a mnemonic to learn that reading. Imagine your older sister (even if you don't have one). She is, for some reason, a horse. Imagine petting her, giving her carrots, and doing other horse-related things with her. What do horses say? They say nehhhh (ねえ).


Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • お姉さんのかお

    Older Sister's face

    お姉さんの声

    Older Sister's voice

    お姉さんのネックレス

    Older Sister's necklace

  • お姉さんがする

    Older Sister does something

    お姉さんがくれる

    Older Sister gives me something

    お姉さんがいる

    Older Sister is here

Context Sentences

あの人が、レイチェルのお姉さん?

Is that person Rachel's older sister?

この子は、私のお姉さんの子です。

This child is my sister's child.

お姉さん、出口はあっちですよ。

Miss, the exit is over there.


Kanji Composition