姉 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 姉 mean in Japanese?

姉 means older sister. Like the brother kanji, it marks age: 姉 is the big sister, paired with 妹 (younger sister).

姉 (ane) is the humble word for your own older sister; お姉さん (oneesan) addresses her and refers politely to someone else’s. The main compound is 姉妹 (shimai, sisters), which joins 姉 with 妹. The woman radical 女 on the left marks it clearly as a female-relative kanji.

Reading

On’yomi: シ (shi)

Kun’yomi: あね (ane)

Basic Information

Kanji 姉
Meaning older sister
Stroke Count 8
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

姉 (ane) is the humble word for your own older sister, used with outsiders: 姉は結婚しています (my older sister is married). お姉さん (oneesan) is the polite, warm word to address her or to refer to someone else’s older sister; casually it also calls out to a young woman. 姉妹 (shimai) means sisters as a group. Formal words include 実姉 (biological older sister) and 義姉 (older sister-in-law). The word extends metaphorically in 姉妹都市 (sister cities) and 姉妹校 (sister schools), for paired institutions.

Common Words

  • 姉（あね / ane） — (my) older sister
  • お姉さん（おねえさん / oneesan） — older sister (polite / address form)
  • 姉妹（しまい / shimai） — sisters
  • 実姉（じっし / jisshi） — one’s biological older sister
  • 義姉（ぎし / gishi） — older sister-in-law
  • 姉妹都市（しまいとし / shimai toshi） — sister cities

Example Sentences

  • 姉は東京で働いています。

    あねはとうきょうではたらいています。 / Ane wa Toukyou de hataraite imasu.

    My older sister works in Tokyo.

  • お姉さんはとてもきれいですね。

    おねえさんはとてもきれいですね。 / Oneesan wa totemo kirei desu ne.

    Your older sister is very beautiful.

  • 私は二人姉妹です。

    わたしはふたりしまいです。 / Watashi wa futari shimai desu.

    We are two sisters.

Related Kanji

  • 妹

    — Younger sister — 姉妹 (sisters) = 姉 + 妹; the older-younger pair is the core of sister vocabulary

  • 兄

    — Older brother — 姉 and 兄 are the two elder siblings; the older pair shares the same honorific pattern (お姉さん / お兄さん)

  • 弟

    — Younger brother — completing the four-sibling set 兄弟姉妹, where 姉 is the older-sister member

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

Pair 姉 (older sister) with 妹 (younger sister), just as 兄 pairs with 弟. Decide a sister’s relative age before you choose the word. Together they form 姉妹 (shimai).

Apply the humble-polite rule: your own older sister is 姉 (ane) to outsiders but お姉さん at home; another person’s older sister is always お姉さん.

Watch the reading shifts: あね on its own, ねえ inside お姉さん, and シ in formal compounds like 義姉. Also take care writing 姉; the right side is 市 (city), which distinguishes it from look-alike characters. Learn お姉さん as a set word.

Summary

姉 means older sister: 姉 (ane) humbly for your own, お姉さん (oneesan) to address her or refer to someone else’s. It forms 姉妹 (sisters) with 妹 and extends to 姉妹都市 (sister cities).