Sections
Neechan (姉ちゃん): what it means in anime
姉ちゃん
ねえちゃん · neechan · big sister; young lady Not on JLPT lists
Nee-chan means "big sister", the casual and affectionate form. Younger siblings call their sister 姉ちゃん or お姉ちゃん, and kids use it for any young woman.
Where you hear it 3 of 42 series
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
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K-On! · 12 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
お姉ちゃん ごはんだよSister, it's dinner.
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Soul Eater · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
お姉ちゃんを泣かさないでDon't make your big sister cry!
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Horimiya · 9 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
あ！ お姉ちゃんだ！ へへッ
Usage and nuance
The ladder of politeness is 姉 (ane, my sister, humble), 姉さん (nee-san, big sister, neutral), お姉さん (onee-san, polite or for a stranger's sister) and 姉ちゃん (nee-chan, childlike or familiar). Soul Eater and K-On use the familiar forms between siblings and bandmates.
Addressed to a stranger, お姉さん is the polite way to call a young woman over, like a waitress. 姉ちゃん in the same situation is cheeky.
The brother version is 兄ちゃん (nii-chan), covered on its own page.
Hear 姉ちゃん in K-On!12 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account