Onii-chan (お兄ちゃん): big brother, and the other ways to say it
お兄ちゃん
おにいちゃん · onii-chan
Onii-chan is an affectionate "big brother", used by younger siblings to address their older brother. Children also use it for a young man they don’t know, much like "mister".
Word by word
| お | お | honorific prefix |
| 兄 | にい | older brother |
| ちゃん | ちゃん | affectionate suffix |
Which word for "brother"?
The more polite お兄さん (onii-san) works for someone else’s brother or a young man in a shop. 兄さん (nii-san) sounds a little more grown-up when addressing your own brother. When telling other people about him, use 兄 (ani): 兄は大学生です, "My brother is a college student." 兄貴 (aniki) sounds rough and macho, and can also refer to a respected older guy in a gang.
Words for other siblings
For an older sister, the pattern is the same: お姉ちゃん (onee-chan), お姉さん and 姉 (ane). A younger brother is 弟 (otouto); a younger sister is 妹 (imouto).
More examples
- お兄ちゃん、待って！ onii-chan, matte! — Wait for me, big brother!
- 兄は東京に住んでいます。 ani wa toukyou ni sunde imasu. — My older brother lives in Tokyo.
Hear it in real scenes
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