What does 妹 mean in Japanese?
妹 means younger sister, the partner of 姉 (older sister) and the last of the four sibling kanji 兄弟姉妹.
The kun’yomi いもうと (imouto) is the everyday word: 妹は中学生です (my younger sister is a junior high student). Like 弟, a younger sister takes no honorific of her own, so 妹さん is used for someone else’s younger sister. The on’yomi マイ appears in the compound 姉妹 (shimai, sisters), and the woman radical 女 marks the kanji as a female relative.
Reading
On’yomi: マイ (mai)
Kun’yomi: いもうと (imouto)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 妹 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | younger sister |
| Stroke Count | 8 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
いもうと (imouto) is the plain word for your own younger sister, and being modest already, it is used with outsiders too. For someone else’s younger sister, add さん: 妹さん. There is no honorific like お姉さん, since younger siblings are junior. 姉妹 (shimai) is the collective word for sisters. Formal terms include 実妹 (biological younger sister) and 義妹 (younger sister-in-law). 妹分 (imoutobun) describes a girl or woman treated affectionately like a little sister though not related.
Common Words
- 妹（いもうと / imouto） — (my) younger sister
- 姉妹（しまい / shimai） — sisters
- 妹さん（いもうとさん / imoutosan） — (someone’s) younger sister
- 実妹（じつまい / jitsumai） — one’s biological younger sister
- 義妹（ぎまい / gimai） — younger sister-in-law
- 妹分（いもうとぶん / imoutobun） — one treated like a younger sister
Example Sentences
-
妹は中学生です。
いもうとはちゅうがくせいです。 / Imouto wa chuugakusei desu.
My younger sister is a junior high school student.
-
妹さんは何が好きですか。
いもうとさんはなにがすきですか。 / Imoutosan wa nani ga suki desu ka.
What does your younger sister like?
-
姉と妹はとても仲がいいです。
あねといもうとはとてもなかがいいです。 / Ane to imouto wa totemo naka ga ii desu.
My older sister and younger sister get along very well.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
Complete the sibling set: 兄 (older brother), 弟 (younger brother), 姉 (older sister), 妹 (younger sister). With these four you can describe any sibling by gender and relative age, something English cannot do in a single word.
Remember the honorific asymmetry: older siblings take お兄さん / お姉さん, younger ones do not. For your own younger sister say 妹; for another person’s, say 妹さん.
For writing, contrast 妹 and 姉: both have 女 on the left, but 妹 has 未 (not yet) and 姉 has 市 (city). The 未 in 妹 is a handy hook, since a younger sister is the one ‘not yet’ grown up.
Summary
妹 means younger sister (imouto), the counterpart of 姉 and the final piece of 兄弟姉妹. It forms 姉妹 (sisters), takes さん for others’ younger sisters, and, like 弟, has no honorific of its own.