Japanese Hobby

Oneesan お姉さん

<div>oneesan means <a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a><a></a> 
<h2 id="oneesan-kanji">Kanji</h2><h2 id="oneesan-usage">Usage</h2>The word oneesan is used to refer or address to one's older sister. This is relative. You can have two or more older sisters, two or more oneesan's. 
To be clear: your oneesan is obviously always older than you, but you call someone else's older sister oneesan and they may be younger than you. It's about the siblings' ages, not the speaker's age. 
imouto is used instead. This word is used less because normally you refer to your own younger sister by name when talking to her.<a></a>To refer to a "younger sister," the word <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/imouto-meaning.html"> 妹</a> is used instead. This word is used less because normally you refer to your own younger sister by name when talking to her. 
To say "oldest sister" the word is choushi 長姉, written with the kanji for "long," nagai 長い, because they've lived the longest, probably. Often a phrase like ichiban ue no ane 一番上の姉, literally "the older sister most above (in the age ranking)," may be used instead.<h3>Referring to People</h3>The way oneesan is used in Japanese to refer to people is very different from how a phrase such as "older sister" is used in English. 
<a></a>This is because in Japanese it's considered rude refer to people by saying "you" with words like <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/08/anata-omae-kimi-kisama-meaning.html">anata, kimi, omae</a> , etc. Instead, you refer to people by their names, with an honorific. And then there are cases where people are referred to by what they are instead. Or you can just not say anything and whom you're referring to is implicit. 
merely <a></a>For example, to say "you are cool" in Japanese, you would say <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/11/kakkoii-kakkowarui-meaning.html">kakkoii</a> , which means "cool," and the "you are" is implicit. 
 
<ul><li>anata wa kakkoii あなたはカッコいい 
You [are] cool.</li>
</ul> 
But I just said you should avoid using words like anata. So use the name instead, like: 
<ul><li>Yuuko-san wa kakkoii 勇子さんはカッコいい 
Yuuko [is] cool.</li>
</ul> 
Then if Yuuko is your older sister, you address to her by title: 
<ul><li>oneesan wa kakkoii お姉さんはカッコいい 
[My] older sister [is] cool.</li>
</ul>If you were to be explicit:But I just said you should avoid using words like. So use the name instead, like:Then if Yuuko is your older sister, you address to her by title:<h2 id="oneesan-translation">Translation</h2>Even though oneesan is literally "older sister," in English it's kinda weird to say that, so "big sister, "big sis," are often used instead. (Obviously there are cases where your older sister is smaller than you, so that doesn't always make sense.) It can also be translated as "elder sister." 
Sometimes the the sister's name is used instead of "older sister." For example, instead of "my older sister is cool," the translation ends up being "Yuuko is cool." Of course, this is weird in another way when subtitles read Yuuko even though nobody says Yuuko in the audio. 
And what if you're talking to Yuuko herself? Questions like oneesan wa nani ga suki? meaning "what does older sister like?" can end up being translated as "what do you like?" instead to avoid weirdness.<h2 id="oneechan-meaning">Oneechan</h2>The meaning of oneechan is the same as oneesan, "older sister." 
The difference between oneechan and oneesan is that oneechan is a cozier word, and that may imply the character is from a cozier family with a cozier upbringing. It's generally used by siblings in friendlier relationships. It's also common for younger children use oneechan instead instead of oneesan. And some people consider it to be cuter. 
It's somewhat like the words "sis" and "sister" in English.<h2 id="oneesama-meaning">Oneesama</h2>The meaning of oneesama is the same as oneesan, "older sister," too. 
The difference between oneesama and oneesana is that oneesama has more reverence, and that may imply the character is from a stricter ore more traditional family, often rich $$$, with stern upbringing. 
In some cases a younger sibling will say oneesama instead of oneesan out of admiration. In some cases the older sister may demand to be called oneesama instead, or it can be implicit that's demanded by the family.<h2 id="neesan-neesama-neechan-meaning">Neesan, Neesama, Neechan</h2>Sometimes the words oneesan, oneechan and oneesama are said without the o prefix: neesan 姉さん, neesama 姉さまand neechan 姉ちゃん. This is just a less formal way of saying the same thing.<h2 id="toward-young-women">Toward Young Women</h2>Sometimes the word oneesan is used to address a young woman, just like the word "miss" is used in English. 
 
This usage generally applies to teenagers and above. Toward elders, words like obasan, "aunt," and obaasan, "grandma," are similarly used instead. Toward little girls, ojousan, "daughter," is used instead. 
 
In anime, there are two types of characters that often say oneesan this way: 
 
First, little children. It's usual for main characters to be in high school, teenagers. So when they meet such children the girls end up being called oneesan. 
<ul><li>ano oneesan ga tasukete kureta あのお姉さんが助けてくれた 
That oneesan helped [me].</li>
</ul> 
Second, old men talking in a patronizing way. 
<ul><li>Oneesan, kokora hen no hito janai ne? お姉さん、ここら辺の人じゃないね？ 
Oneesan, [you] aren't from around these parts, are [you]?</li>
</ul> 
In both cases oneechan may also be used, but oneesama isn't used like this. 
<h2 id="oneesan-vs-ane">Oneesan vs. Ane</h2>The difference between oneesan and ane is that oneesan has honorifics. Generally speaking, you don't use honorifics toward yourself. So you say ane when you refer to your own older sister, and oneesan when you refer to someone else's older sister. (see <a></a> 
 
One exception is when you're talking about your older sister to someone inside your own family, then you use oneesan. 
 
In manga and anime, characters will often break the rules above. This is because they're children, in school, talking to friends, in fiction, and such rules are a lot more relaxed. 
 
Some example phrases: 
<ul><li>watashi no ane¹ to anata no oneesan² 私の姉とあなたのお姉さん 
My older sister¹ and your older sister².</li>
<li>anata no oneesan wa genki desuka? あなたのお姉さんは元気ですか？ 
Is your older sister well?</li>
<li><a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/oniisan-meaning.html">oniisan</a>, oneesan wa? お兄さん、お姉さんは？ 
Older brother, [what about] older sister? 
Older brother, [where is] older sister? 
(here the speaker is speaking to their "older sister," asking about their "older brother.")</li>
</ul><h2 id="oneesan-in-kana">おねーさん</h2>Sometimes oneesan is <a></a><a></a> 
<ul><li>oneechan おねーちゃん</li>
<li>oneesan おねーさん</li>
<li>oneesama おねーさま</li>
</ul><h2 id="oneesan-vs-onesan">Oneesan vs. Onēsan</h2>oneesan is spelled onēsan instead, with a macron. This is merely <a></a>onēchan and onēsama. 
 
This happens because long vowels, found in syllables like nee ねえ and nee ねー, may be romanized with a macron instead of two vowel letters.Sometimesis spelledinstead, with a macron. This is merely <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/different-romaji-same-word.html">a different romaji for the same Japanese word</a> . The same applies forandThis happens because long vowels, found in syllables likeねえ andねー, may be romanized with a macron instead of two vowel letters.
The wordmeans <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#older%20brother-in-japanese">"older sister" in Japanese</a> (but <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/oneesan-meaning.html#toward-young-women">sometimes refers to a young woman</a> ). It's one of the many <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html">family words</a> with the <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/03/o-san-pattern.html">o__san お〇〇さん pattern</a> , and as such the honorific suffix can be changed between <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/kun-san-chan-sama-meaning.html">san, chan and sama</a> . (see <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#nuances-honorifics">onieehan vs. oneesan vs. oneesama</a> Sometimes the wordis used to address a young woman, just like the word "miss" is used in English.This usage generally applies to teenagers and above. Toward elders, words like, "aunt," and, "grandma," are similarly used instead. Toward little girls,, "daughter," is used instead.In anime, there are two types of characters that often saythis way:First, little children. It's usual for main characters to be in high school, teenagers. So when they meet such children the girls end up being calledSecond, old men talking in a patronizing way.In both casesmay also be used, butisn't used like this.The difference betweenandis thathas honorifics. Generally speaking, you don't use honorifics toward yourself. So you saywhen you refer to your own older sister, andwhen you refer to someone else's older sister. (see <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">お姉さん vs. 姉</a> One exception is when you're talking about your older sister to someone inside your own family, then you useIn manga and anime, characters will often break the rules above. This is because they're children, in school, talking to friends, in fiction, and such rules are a lot more relaxed.Some example phrases:Sometimesis <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/words-written-without-kanji.html">written without kanji</a> with a <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/04/prolonged-sound-mark.html">prolonged sound mark ー</a> . This often happens with child characters to denote the way they speak.</div>

Oneesan お姉さん

oneesan means Kanji Usage The word oneesan is used to refer or address to one's older sister. This is relative. You can have two or ...

Furigana 振り仮名

<div>If you don't know it yet, in the Japanese alphabets , you always knowa letter fromor, because the pronunciation of ais always the same. A single, however, may have multiple different readings, so you can never be too sure.
The furigana can be a way to show the correct reading of a kanji in a word, and this can be for various reasons.First off, the main reasonis used is when the writer assumes the reader doesn't know how to read... the. They can read theand, but not all theThis is specially true when it's a work targeted at children, as they can't be assumed to know enoughuntil they finish high-school. So you'll see that in most shounen and shoujo manga there is an absurd amount ofwritten beside each and every. (think of it, they wrote the whole text twice!)As you can see above, manga full of, such as Yotsubato! よつばと! , are great for people learning Japanese, since they contain the readings of practically all the, so even if you don't know a word, you'll know how to read it, which is half-way there.(there's a list of manga that have furigana in case you need to know which manga you should try to read)<h3>
Unusual Words</h3>

Another case for furigana usage is when a word is considered unusual or rare and the reader can't be assumed to know how to read it. This sounds exactly like what happens with children, except now we're talking about works targeted at teens and older audiences.

 

You'll see that the older the audience is assumed to be, the fewer furigana there are. Someone in their teens can be assumed to know how to read the word "rice," kome 米, so we won't be wasting ink writing its furigana every time. This way, common, everyday words may not have furigana at all in works targeted at teens.

 

For works targeted at adults the same thing happens. You'll be assumed to know to read more complex words and only those extremely rare words which you have found maybe 3 times the whole year will still have furigana. 
<h3>
Words Often Written With Kana</h3>
Contradicting the above, there are cases some very common, basic words will have furigana alongside their kanji. This happens when the word is often written with hiragana only, never with the kanji, so everyone knows what it means but nobody knows the kanji for the word.

 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_959V4aaHIafNtEi-zCQd9rJrOUm-gmzFioL55jLERM_kZqURDBDHqhDCkTNX7qEn-w_QzqvV6DeD26MHqIik-6_2dl4ciqkMGE8kVnzaaac_zk4KQfJW0AnpLKn_oyPOOang4XC3KU/s1600/furigana-unusual-kanji.png"><img alt="Example of furigana in visual novel Steins;Gate シュタインズ・ゲート showing the reading of a common word that's usually written with kana alone and not with kanji" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_959V4aaHIafNtEi-zCQd9rJrOUm-gmzFioL55jLERM_kZqURDBDHqhDCkTNX7qEn-w_QzqvV6DeD26MHqIik-6_2dl4ciqkMGE8kVnzaaac_zk4KQfJW0AnpLKn_oyPOOang4XC3KU/s1600/furigana-unusual-kanji.png" title="I hate Mayuri's voice"></a> 
Above, Steins;Gate uses furigana for the word ago 顎, which is a common word that's often written with kana and ends up needing the furigana when written with its kanji. The same thing happens with most of the <a></a>Above, Steins;Gate usesfor the word顎, which is a common word that's often written withand ends up needing thewhen written with its. The same thing happens with most of the <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/body-parts-names-japanese-karada.html">names for body parts in Japanese</a> <h3>
Names of Animals</h3>
Another notable case, which is an extension of the above, are names of animals. Pretty much all <a></a>kanji or a combination of kanji that are only ever used to talk about animals. 
 
Basically, you'll only ever see a kanji for a given animal when encountering the word for that given animal. Take 狼 for example, unless you're reading the word ookami 狼, meaning "wolf," you will probably never encounter that kanji. This contrasts with kanji such as 学 which is featured in hundreds of common words. 
 
 
So pretty much except for neko 猫, inu 犬 and a few others extremely common animals, names of animals in Japanese will always either be written with kanji featuring furigana readings or be written in hiragana or katakana, because nobody can be arsed to memorize their kanji. 
<h3>
Names of People and Stuff</h3>

The second most common case is for showing how the written name of a person is supposed to be read. A single combination of two kanji could be read in a few ways if it's a normal word, or it could be read in hundreds of different ways if it's supposed to be a name.

 
kanji-written name, a writer will always spell it out using the hiragana in the furigana space. This happens in manga aimed at children and manga not aimed at children, light novels, newspapers, etc. 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7DrHPmZijZ2-HEwD3il1oMmkFaOWHiJruzKBUnxE6ZUHU0Vr0aH0vaEKAXbIavSPmFGGwy85WtPirHo2x9BdVLGXZYZ6cOm8Jtrjn8ZiQesmCaL9n54IIhyphenhyphen72u7jP5FW14i04-qcPyo/s1600/furigana-name-kanji-tonari-no-seki-kun.png"><img alt="Example of furigana for names of people and characters as shown in the manga Tonari no Seki-kun となりの関くん" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7DrHPmZijZ2-HEwD3il1oMmkFaOWHiJruzKBUnxE6ZUHU0Vr0aH0vaEKAXbIavSPmFGGwy85WtPirHo2x9BdVLGXZYZ6cOm8Jtrjn8ZiQesmCaL9n54IIhyphenhyphen72u7jP5FW14i04-qcPyo/s1600/furigana-name-kanji-tonari-no-seki-kun.png" title="This poor character's name was chosen as a pun"></a> 
There are also cases where the name of a certain thing is in katakana, but just to fuck with you for stylistic reasons the author has made up a kanji way for that word to be written too. In these cases, the kanji used have a meaning associated with the word, and the original katakana is placed on the furigana space. This practice is called <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/gikun-reading-meaning.html">gikun</a>. 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Wv1zqkj_qhO8YgYrw0iErBuMoNPctDF0f1bsgzFNwCqoxLoughOBSUd17_qC4LvHjQzLCGDzA_xWdM7Xl_xJESH-xGsmeITErnIN-ir7FKBixIUR9GNCHgbnIOeM34bGjFArXIf2a28/s1600/furigana-drifters-hyouryuusha.png"><img alt="Example of furigana that is katakana of a different word and not a reading of a kanji as shown in the manga Drifters ドリフターズ" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Wv1zqkj_qhO8YgYrw0iErBuMoNPctDF0f1bsgzFNwCqoxLoughOBSUd17_qC4LvHjQzLCGDzA_xWdM7Xl_xJESH-xGsmeITErnIN-ir7FKBixIUR9GNCHgbnIOeM34bGjFArXIf2a28/s1600/furigana-drifters-hyouryuusha.png" title="I get it. You like English."></a> 
An important detail about furigana for names written with kanji is that, unlike other uses of furigana, the reading of a name usually only appears once and the next time the name appears in its kanji form there will be no furigana. 
 
That is, if in the first page it says the character name is read justice 正義 then you better make sure you remember that because the next time it shows up there will be no furigana and you don't want to mistake it for the word seigi 正義, which means "justice," or the name masayoshi 正義, which would be the sane reading for the name.Since you wouldn't want people mistaking someone's-written name, a writer will always spell it out using thein thespace. This happens in manga aimed at children and manga not aimed at children, light novels, newspapers, etc.There are also cases where the name of a certain thing is in, butfor stylistic reasons the author has made up away for that word to be written too. In these cases, theused have a meaning associated with the word, and the originalis placed on thespace. This practice is calledAn important detail aboutfor names written withis that, unlike other uses of, the reading of a name usually only appears once and the next time the name appears in itsform there will be noThat is, if in the first page it says the character name is read正義 then you better make sure you remember that because the next time it shows up there will be no furigana and you don't want to mistake it for the word正義, which means "justice," or the name正義, which would be the sane reading for the name.<h3>
Ambiguous Written Words</h3>
As an example of the last case, take the word 一日. The furigana could say いちにち or ついたち. If the reading is ichinichi いちにち, it means "one day." If the reading is tsuitachi ついたち, it means "the first day of the month." Though it's often obvious which one we are talking about from the context. 
<h3>
Non-Japanese Words</h3>

Furigana is also used to tell Japan-born Japanese-speaking readers how to read a word that isn't in Japanese. Much like how it works with kanji, the furigana beside foreign words will show that word reading, that is, how it's pronounced.

 

 
kanji the furigana is usually in hiragana, just like native Japanese words are usually written with hiragana, but the furigana on foreign words is usually in katakana, just like <a></a>katakana but never with hiragana.An important detail is that withtheis usually in, just like native Japanese words are usually written with, but theon foreign words is usually in, just like <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/10/why-japanese-cant-english.html">loan-words</a> are written inbut never with<h2 id="useless-furigana">
Furigana That Doesn't Help</h2>

What we just talked about is the furigana that matters, the one that helps you read. Unfortunately, furigana is just a secondary line of text beside the primary line of text, and this is also called "ruby text." So, as it turns out, authors tend to write literally whatever they want in that sacred space. 
 
This can be a huge pain in the ass when the main text is kanji and the furigana is hiragana, but the hiragana is not the reading of the kanji. The furigana is just a totally separate thing and the reading of the kanji is nowhere to be found. 
 
So if you are a total beginner, you may be left wondering "since when the fuck is this kanji read like this?!" Only to find out later that it's just the author fucking with you. 
 
The use cases below show furigana being used as a writing device for artistic reasons only.
<h3>
Dual Wielding Synonyms</h3>
The most bullshit and common case is when the author feels like writing a word in the main text and then writing a different word of same meaning in the furigana. This means, in essence, that he wrote the same thing twice just to fuck with you. 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryhTLjEvh4OMMqfXaWAkNO-U4v_YPhovk8a2vwAFCHsCioIxLR78G7Hq4yazgDGjo15yjyiHhT2bA0Bb24s5G3CO1Zoyn-7akGQuBksTvtYzrgBR9O1NgUJMvJmTRpDTCNCG_y9rp3T4/s1600/furigana-noragami.png"><img alt="Example of furigana that isn't the reading of a word but its synonym as shown in the manga Noragami ノラガミ" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryhTLjEvh4OMMqfXaWAkNO-U4v_YPhovk8a2vwAFCHsCioIxLR78G7Hq4yazgDGjo15yjyiHhT2bA0Bb24s5G3CO1Zoyn-7akGQuBksTvtYzrgBR9O1NgUJMvJmTRpDTCNCG_y9rp3T4/s1600/furigana-noragami.png" title="This was very confusing for me."></a> 
Above we have the situation illustrated. Notice how noragami ノラガミ, being a manga aimed at children, has the proper readings of other words such as kon'ya 今夜 and yatsu 奴 in furigana, however fails to do that with the word byouin 病院. 
<h3>
Katakana Synonyms</h3>
katakana and, most likely, happens to be a foreign word. 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkFnl6E_E0nfp9yjZEXMOmmtHQc8p-hmxPP464o-xIaV5LKvWqK-Oo762ais9OQuYc3o-cgq4tmBBcDviOu36xirGmYe1GItCuJdWq9-uM4wpGTLJoTty7_CxkPMA9Bodn1ZTx3Pi2Ss/s1600/furigana-katakana.png"><img alt="Example of furigana with katakana words beside kanji with similar meaning as shown in the light novel Overlord オーバーロード" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkFnl6E_E0nfp9yjZEXMOmmtHQc8p-hmxPP464o-xIaV5LKvWqK-Oo762ais9OQuYc3o-cgq4tmBBcDviOu36xirGmYe1GItCuJdWq9-uM4wpGTLJoTty7_CxkPMA9Bodn1ZTx3Pi2Ss/s1600/furigana-katakana.png" title="Was all this really necessary?"></a> 
This is a common case in stories that talk about games because things start having two words to describe them: the word used by the oblivious in-game characters and the words used by game-savvy players. 
 
Take "World Item," for example, which becomes waarudo aitemu ワールド・アイテム when loaned to Japanese. The word waarudo ワールド can be used to say a world (of many) in a game, but it wouldn't be used by medieval fantasy characters to talk about their own world. 
 
So, instead, the author makes them say "world-level item," sekai-kyuu aitemu 世界級アイテム, with the furigana showing the "normal" way of saying it. This way the characters don't use words which would disrupt the reader's suspension of disbelief and, simultaneously, lets them understand it's actually a game concept it's being talked about.An extension of the above is when the synonym is written inand, most likely, happens to be a foreign word.This is a common case in stories that talk about games because things start having two words to describe them: the word used by the oblivious in-game characters and the words used by game-savvy players.Take "World Item," for example, which becomesワールド・アイテム when loaned to Japanese. The wordワールド can be used to say a world (of many) in a game, but it wouldn't be used by medieval fantasy characters to talk about their own world.So, instead, the author makes them say "world-level item,"世界級アイテム, with theshowing the "normal" way of saying it. This way the characters don't use words which would disrupt the reader's suspension of disbelief and, simultaneously, lets them understand it's actually a game concept it's being talked about.<h3>
Foreign Synonyms</h3>
furigana, because why the fuck not? It's not like anybody is having trouble reading this stuff, right?! By this point the author doesn't even use furigana for the kanji readings anymore, it's only to show off how furigana his skills are. 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYaVc_i3_lMKlw1iquAOwZOVXhnrxprEbeNKv4DamuIZe556PoU316L16RYm1v1gXU6Evp-RJvBx2KlZeTMYgJJPnZoVyuL4-EtTudJbVVKowmbkYanCx5FLFPTn9di7zn9na5Vt3NC4/s1600/furigana-english-words.png"><img alt="Example of furigana with English words and acronyms beside English words as shown in the light novel Overlord オーバーロード" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYaVc_i3_lMKlw1iquAOwZOVXhnrxprEbeNKv4DamuIZe556PoU316L16RYm1v1gXU6Evp-RJvBx2KlZeTMYgJJPnZoVyuL4-EtTudJbVVKowmbkYanCx5FLFPTn9di7zn9na5Vt3NC4/s1600/furigana-english-words.png" title="Why Japan why?"></a> 
Two notes on the above image: first off, NPC is a word used in games worldwide, not only in English. Everyone knows what an NPC is even if they don't know English, so you can end up knowing what an NPC is, but having Non-Player Character fly over your head. 
 
Secondly, I'm not sure people actually saw "to pop" to say "to spawn." I had to look up the English word in an English dictionary to understand the Japanese text, so Japanese gamers probably use it, that's why we see it up there.Next we have cases where there's non-Japanese text in the, because why the fuck not? It's not like anybody is having trouble reading this stuff, right?! By this point the author doesn't even use furigana for thereadings anymore, it's only to show off howhis skills are.Two notes on the above image: first off, NPC is a word used in games worldwide, not only in English. Everyone knows what an NPC is even if they don't know English, so you can end up knowing what an NPC is, but having Non-Player Character fly over your head.Secondly, I'm not sure people actually saw "to pop" to say "to spawn." I had to look up the English word in an English dictionary to understand the Japanese text, so Japanese gamers probably use it, that's why we see it up there.<h3>
Kanji Furigana</h3>
<a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/baka-meaning.html">baka</a> <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/11/gaijin-meaning.html">gaijin</a>" the Japanese language can utter, the ultimate sacrilege against the sanctity of the holy, once all-benevolent, furigana readings, is, of course, writing a motherfucking kanji in the space supposed to be safe from the kanji!The last one, obviously, the greatest "lol fuck you" the Japanese language can utter, the ultimate sacrilege against the sanctity of the holy, once all-benevolent,readings, is, of course, writing a motherfuckingin the space supposed to be safe from the
 


<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAgHSNiESbMStCaGjfg00m6-3s9MQFNYlpfbauk6lsbWxfzCFiYaUA6ppBJHYFK1wbAH80cPN3gxTTAHpxua-zuqT9VRhTxRYjAlQzSmnTk5FTiHPvnQslWqexYccLSj6FkiAljR8jXA/s1600/furigana-kanji-phrases.png"><img alt="Example of kanji inside the furigana showing two phrases similar in meaning side by side as shown in the light novel Overlord オーバーロード" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAgHSNiESbMStCaGjfg00m6-3s9MQFNYlpfbauk6lsbWxfzCFiYaUA6ppBJHYFK1wbAH80cPN3gxTTAHpxua-zuqT9VRhTxRYjAlQzSmnTk5FTiHPvnQslWqexYccLSj6FkiAljR8jXA/s1600/furigana-kanji-phrases.png" title="Why do this..."></a> The most bullshit and common case is when the author feels like writing a word in the main text and then writing a different word of same meaning in the. This means, in essence, that he wrote the same thing twice just to fuck with you.Above we have the situation illustrated. Notice howノラガミ, being a manga aimed at children, has the proper readings of other words such as今夜 and奴 in, however fails to do that with the word病院.
I'm sure I don't need to comment on the irony of this sort of usage, but it does raise a big question: if you write kanji on the furigana side, is there a meta-furigana side a furigana for the furigana, where their readings could be written? 
 
The answer is: probably nope. 
 
In case you haven't noticed, furigana used artistically like this is (thankfully) restricted to works targeted to older audiences where the readings of kanji are rarely written. In fact, in the case of Overlord, for example, most of the furigana does not contain the actual readings of the kanji, containing synonyms or whatever random correlated words the author could think of instead. 
<h2 id="furigana-word-meaning">
Meaning of the Word Furigana 振り仮名</h2>

Another notable case, which is an extension of the above, are names of animals. Pretty much all <a href="http://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/animals-in-japanese-neko-inu-nezumi-kitsune-ookami.html">names of animals in Japanese</a> have an uniqueor a combination ofthat are only ever used to talk about animals.Basically, you'll only ever see afor a given animal when encountering the word for that given animal. Take 狼 for example, unless you're reading the word狼, meaning "wolf," you will probably never encounter that. This contrasts withsuch as 学 which is featured in hundreds of common words.So pretty much except for猫,犬 and a few others extremely common animals, names of animals in Japanese will always either be written withfeaturingreadings or be written inor, because nobody can be arsed to memorize theirAs an example of the last case, take the word 一日. Thecould say いちにち or ついたち. If the reading isいちにち, it means "one day." If the reading isついたち, it means "the first day of the month." Though it's often obvious which one we are talking about from the context.</div>

Furigana 振り仮名

If you don't know it yet, in the Japanese alphabets , you always knowa letter fromor, because the pronunciation of ais always the same. ...

Family Members List

<div> 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
<a name="more"></a><h2 id="introduction">
Introduction</h2>
This post is so long it needs an introduction. To clear any doubts you may have: 
 
<a></a>chichi 父 and otousan お父さん are written like that. Furthermore, <a></a> 
 
There are too many synonyms in this article. Check the <a></a><a></a> 
<h3>
Terms Found in References</h3>
The term as seen in the titles of many referenced articles stands for "not good" and means you shouldn't use or say something. 
<ul>
<li>wo sasu を指す 
To point at. (literally) 
To refer to.</li>
<li>yobikata 呼び方 
Way of calling (someone).</li>
<li>uyamau 敬う 
To show reverence toward. (honorific terms do this.)</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="summary">
Summary</h2>
A summarized version of this whole article: 
<ul>
<li>kazoku 家族 
Family.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>otousan お父さん 
chichi 父 
Father.</li>
<li>okaasan お母さん 
haha 母 
Mother.</li>
<li>oya 親 
Parent.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>musuko 息子 
Son.</li>
<li>musume 娘 
Daughter.</li>
<li>ko 子 
Child.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>oniisan お兄さん 
ani 兄 
Older brother.</li>
<li>otouto 弟 
Younger brother.</li>
<li>oneesan お姉さん 
ane 姉 
Older sister.</li>
<li>imouto 妹 
Younger sister.</li>
<li>kyoudaishimai 兄弟姉妹 
Siblings.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>ojiisan お祖父さん 
sofu 祖父 
Grandfather.</li>
<li>obaasan お祖母さん 
sobo 祖母 
Grandmother.</li>
<li>sofubo 祖父母 
Grandparents.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>magomusuko 孫息子 
Grandson.</li>
<li>magomusume 孫娘 
Granddaughter.</li>
<li>mago 孫 
Grandchild.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="chart">
Chart</h3>
Here's a chart of the Japanese family words: 
 
<h2 id="family-in-japanese">
Family</h2>
To say family in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>kazoku 家族</li>
</ul>
 
(Note: ohana お鼻 means "nose.") 
 
When "family" refers to one's "household," the term katei 家庭 is used instead. This would be used in cases like "familial" matters, something that happened inside the family. That is: kazoku is a family as a structure, kinship, while katei is domestic, related to home. 
 
One phrase common in anime is katei jijou 家庭事情, "familial circumstances," usually used when a characters parents want him to move from one school to another or something like that. 
<h3 id="family-tree-in-japanese">
Family Tree</h3>

To say family tree in Japanese:
<ul>
<li>kakeizu 家系図</li>
</ul>

 

This is because a kakei 家系 is the "lineage of a family," while a zu 図 is a "diagram."
<h2 id="father-in-japanese">
Father</h2>
To say father in Japanese: 
 
<ul>
<li>otousan お父さん</li>
<li>otousama お父様</li>
<li>otouchan お父ちゃん</li>
<li>tousan 父さん</li>
<li>touchan 父ちゃん</li>
<li>otou お父 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
<ul>
<li>oyaji 親父</li>
<li>oyajisan 親父さん</li>
<li>oyassan おやっさん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#oyaji-ofukuro-usage">[oyaji, ofukuro usage]</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
<ul></ul>
 
<ul>
<li>sonpu 尊父</li>
<li>goshinpu 御親父 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#sonpu-goshinpu-usage">[sonpu, goshinpu usage]</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
Note: a "father" as in a "priest" of the Catholic church, etc. is shinpu 神父 in Japanese. 
<h2 id="mother-in-japanese">
Mother</h2>
The words for mother in Japanese: 
 
<ul>
<li>okaasan お母さん</li>
<li>okaasama お母様</li>
<li>okaachan お母ちゃん</li>
<li>kaasan 母さん</li>
<li>kaachan 母ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
<ul>
<li>ofukuro お袋</li>
<li>ofukurosan お袋さん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#oyaji-ofukuro-usage">[oyaji, ofukuro usage]</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
 
<h2 id="son-in-japanese">
Son</h2>
The word for son in Japanese is: 
<ul>
<li>musuko 息子</li>
</ul>
 
Toward the sons of other people, the following words are used: 
<ul>
<li>musukosan 息子さん</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>obocchan お坊ちゃん</li>
<li>obocchan お坊っちゃん</li>
<li>bocchan 坊ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#obocchan-ojousan-usage">[obocchan, ojousan usage]</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>goshisoku ご子息</li>
<li>goreisoku ご令息</li>
</ul>
 
The terms goshisoku and goreisoku are more formal and may be considered too formal to use normally, specially goreisoku. 
<h2 id="daughter-in-japanese">
Daughter</h2>
The word for daughter in Japanese is: 
<ul>
<li>musume 娘</li>
</ul>
 
Toward the daughters of other people, the following words are used: 
<ul>
<li>musumesan 娘さん</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>ojouchan お嬢さん</li>
<li>ojousan お嬢さん</li>
<li>ojousama お嬢様 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#obocchan-ojousan-usage">[obocchan, ojousan usage]</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>goshijo ご子女</li>
<li>gosokujo ご息女</li>
<li>goreijou ご令嬢</li>
</ul>
 
The terms goshijo, gosokujo and goreijo are formal, and sometimes considered too formal to be used normally, specially goreijou. 
<h2 id="parent-in-japanese">
Parent</h2>
To say parent in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>oya 親 
Parent.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>ryoushin 両親 
Both parents.</li>
<li>goryoushin ご両親 
(someone else's) parents.</li>
<li>fubo 父母 
Father and mother. 
Father or mother. (in some cases)</li>
<li>kataoya 片親 
Single parent. One of the two parents.</li>
<li>futaoya 二親 
Two parents.</li>
</ul>
 
The terms above may all be used to say "parents" in Japanese. The term goryoushin ご両親, with the go ご honorific, is used to refer to the parents of other people, not your parents, only of other people. 
<h2 id="child-in-japanese">
Child</h2>
To say child in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>ko 子 
Child.</li>
<li>okosan お子さん 
(someone else's) child.</li>
<li>__ no ko 〇〇の子 
__'s child. (insert name there.)</li>
</ul>
 
The word kodomo 子供 may refer to someone's "children" in plural, __ no kodomo 〇〇の子供. But it may also refer to "children" as in "they're young." 
 
(note: there's an entirely separate article for <a></a> 
<h2 id="parent-and-child-in-japanese">
Parent & Child</h2>
The following terms are used when when talking about parent and child at the same time. 
<ul>
<li>oyako 親子 
Parent and child.</li>
<li>fushi 父子 
Father and child.</li>
<li>boshi 母子 
Mother and child.</li>
</ul>
 
Sometimes, the kanji for "daughter," musume 娘, may be used instead of ko 子 in the words above to hint the gender of the child is female. These'd be , artificial readings. For example: 
<ul>
<li>oyako 親娘 
oyamusume 親娘 
Parent and daughter.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="birth-order">
Birth Order</h2>
In Japanese, there are terms for sons and daughters based their birth order, which are used instead of phrases like "first son," "oldest son," "first daughter," etc. we'd use in English. 
<h3 id="birth-order-counters">
Counters</h3>
Normally, the children are counted using numbers and counters. 
<ul>
<li>ichinan 一男 
First-born son. Eldest son.</li>
<li>jinan 次男 (二男) 
Second-born son.</li>
<li>san'nan 三男 
Third-born son.</li>
<li>yon'nan 四男 
Fourth-born son.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>ichijo 一女 
First-born daughter. Eldest daughter.</li>
<li>jijo 次女 (二女) 
Second-born daughter.</li>
<li>sanjo 三女 
Third-born daughter.</li>
<li>yonjo 四女 
Fourth-born daughter.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>isshi 一子 
First child.</li>
</ul>
 
You may have noticed the terms jinan 次男 and jijo 次女 are not written with the kanji for "two," ni 二, and not read ninan and nijo either. This happens because they second son and daughter are the "next" (after the first) son and daughter, so they're written with the kanji for "next," tsugi 次. They may be written with 二 too, but they'd still be read jinan and jijo. 
<h3 id="eldest-child">
Eldest Child</h3>
There are synonyms for "first-born" that use the kanji for the word "long," nagai 長い, because they've been born for the longest time, they're older, the eldest. 
<ul>
<li>chounan 長男 
Eldest son.</li>
<li>choujo 長女 
Eldest daughter.</li>
<li>choushi 長子 
Eldest child.</li>
</ul>
 
For the record: the chounan is the chounan forever. The jinan never becomes chounan, not even if the chounan dies and the jinan surpasses him in (living) age. The same applies to the other words. 
<h3 id="youngest-child">
Youngest Child</h3>
The terms for the "youngest" child in Japanese used the kanji for the word "end," matsu 末, as they're the last children born and consequently at the end of the offspring list. 
<ul>
<li>matsunan 末男 
Youngest son.</li>
<li>matsujo 末女 
Youngest daughter.</li>
<li>suekko 末っ子 
Youngest child.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="numbered-son-names">
Numbered Son Names</h3>
In some cases, parents may name their sons following a certain custom of adding a suffix according to their birth order. In which case, the name of a person (or anime character) hints whether they're the youngest or have an older brother, etc. 
<ul>
<li>tarou 太郎 
ichirou 一郎 
First-born son.</li>
<li>jirou 次郎 
Second-born son.</li>
<li>saburou 三郎 
Third-born son.</li>
<li>shirou 四郎 
Fourth-born son.</li>
</ul>
 
For example, in Uchouten Kazoku, the name of the sons of main character's family are: Yaichirou, Yajirou, Yasaburou, and Yashirou. 
 
This practice is called <a></a> 
<h2 id="husband-in-japanese">
Husband</h2>
To say husband in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>otto 夫</li>
</ul>
 
The word above means "husband" literally. The following words are used when referring to one's husband in person: 
<h3 id="shujin-meaning">
Shujin 主人</h3>
<ul>
<li>shujin 主人</li>
<li>goshujin ご主人</li>
<li>goshujinsan ご主人さん</li>
<li>goshujinsama ご主人様</li>
</ul>
 
The word shujin originates from the "lord," aruji 主, of a home, implying the husband, in which case everyone else in that same home serves the lord, the man of the house. 
 
Although most people don't really care the term's origins, some of the working women in modern society may be against its usage, as the word seems rather sexist. It always means husband, never wife, implying you can assume the lord of the house is male. The term onnashujin 女主人 exists for female shujin, but that word is not used to say "wife." 
 
The term goshujin, with the honorific prefix go 御, would refer to other people's husbands, as it's unusual to use honorifics toward yourself. You don't need to use honorific suffixes (san, sama) with this word. 
 
In anime, the term goshujinsama often refers to a maid's "master," in other words, the lord of the house where the maid serves. It's also used in similar fashion in other contexts. 
<h3 id="danna-meaning">
Dan'na 旦那</h3>
<ul>
<li>dan'na 旦那</li>
<li>dan'nasan 旦那さん</li>
<li>dan'nasama 旦那様</li>
</ul>
 
The dan'na words are often used more casually than shujin. 
 
Besides meaning "husband," the word dan'na may also refer to the master of a house, like shujin, and sometimes it can also refer to the master (owner) of a shop, so long as he is a man. 
 
Besides that, dan'na 旦那, written as dan'na 檀那, means "(male) patron," and it's used to refer to male customers of shops. This is similar to how the word "boss" is sometimes used in English to refer to customers, as they're the ones giving the orders. 
 
Besides that, too, the origin of dan'na 旦那 lies in the word daana ダーナ, loaned from Sanskrit, where it would mean "donation." Basically donation means patron means customers means "boss" means master of the shop means master of the house means husband. 
<h3 id="husband-father-words">
Father Words</h3>
Sometimes, words that would usually mean "<a></a> 
<ul>
<li>otousan お父さん</li>
<li>papa パパ</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="husband-anata-usage">
Anata あなた</h3>
Sometimes, the word anata あなた, meaning "you," is used by wives when talking to their husbands. This contrast with the usual way to refer to people in Japanese: normally you wouldn't refer to people by <a></a> 
 
Note that anata is only used when talking to the husband. There's no such thing as "my anata" meaning my "husband." 
<h3 id="husband-groom-in-japanese">
Groom</h3>

To say groom in Japanese:
<ul>
<li>muko 婿 
(also means <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#in-laws">son-in-law</a>.)</li>
</ul>
<h3>
References</h3>
 
<h2 id="wife-in-japanese">
Wife</h2>
To say wife in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>tsuma 妻</li>
</ul>

 

The word above means "wife" literally. The following words are used to refer to wives:
<ul>
<li>yome 嫁</li>
<li>yomesan 嫁さん</li>
</ul>
 
Originally, yome referred to the bride of your son, but nowadays it's also used to refer to your own bride, or your own wife too. 
<ul>
<li>okusan 奥さん</li>
<li>okusama 奥様</li>
</ul>
 
The term okusama is normally used to refer to other people's wives, not yours. Although some people use it to refer to their own wife. 
 
The following terms feel a bit old, but they also exist: 
<ul>
<li>kamisan 上さん</li>
<li>kanai 家内</li>
<li>nyoubou 女房</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="wife-mother-words">
Mother Words</h3>
<a></a>Sometimes, words that would usually mean " <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#mother-in-japanese">mother</a> " can be used to refer to one's wife.<ul>
<li>okaasan お母さん</li>
<li>mama ママ</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="bride-in-japanese">
Bride</h3>
To say bride in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>yome 嫁 
(also means <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#in-laws">daughter-in-law</a>.)</li>
</ul>
 
(note: ore no yome 俺の嫁, "my wife/bride," is the Japanese equivalent of <a></a> 
<h3>
References</h3>
 
<h2 id="in-laws">
In-Laws</h2>
The words to refer to in-laws are the following: 
<ul>
<li>muko 婿 
Son-in-law. 
Husband of your daughter.</li>
<li>yome 嫁 
Daughter-in-law. 
Wife of your son.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>shuutome 姑 
Mother-in-law. 
Mother of your spouse.</li>
<li>shuuto 舅 
Father-in-law. 
Father of your spouse.</li>
</ul>
 
The following words have the "artificial," gi 義, prefix and have other uses (like adoptive relatives, etc.). But they can be used to refer to in-laws too. 
<ul>
<li>gibo 義母 
giri no haha 義理の母 
Mother-in-law.</li>
<li>gifu 義父 
giri no chichi 義理の父 
Father-in-law.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>gikyoudai 義兄弟 
Brothers-in-law. 
Siblings-in-law.</li>
<li>gikei 義兄 
Older brother-in-law.</li>
<li>gitei 義弟 
Younger brother-in-law.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>gishi 義姉 
giri no ane 義理の姉 
Older sister-in-law.</li>
<li>gimai 義妹 
giri no imouto 義理の妹 
Younger sister-in-law.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="spouses-and-marriage">
Spouses & Marriage</h2>
Some more words about spouses, marriage, husbands and wives: 
<ul>
<li>haiguusha 配偶者 
Spouse. Partner.</li>
<li>paatonaa パートナー 
Partner.</li>
<li>fuufu 夫婦 
Husband and wife. 
Married couple.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>kekkon 結婚 
Marriage.</li>
<li>kekkon suru 結婚する 
To marry.</li>
<li>X to kekkon suru Xと結婚する 
To marry with X.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="brother-in-japanese">
Brother</h2>
To say brother in Japanese there are different words depending on whether they're your older brother or younger brother. 
<h3 id="older-brother-in-japanese">
Older Brother</h3>
To say older brother in Japanese: 
 
<ul>
<li>oniisan お兄さん</li>
<li>oniisama お兄様</li>
<li>oniisan お兄ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
 
<h3 id="younger-brother-in-japanese">
Younger Brother</h3>
To say younger brother in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>otouto 弟</li>
</ul>
 
The term otoutosan 弟さん is used when talking about the otouto of someone else. 
<h3 id="eldest-brother-in-japanese">
Eldest Brother</h3>
An older brother is just any of your brothers older than you. The eldest brother is specifically called: 
<ul>
<li>choukei 長兄</li>
</ul>

 
<h3 id="youngest-brother-in-japanese">
Youngest Brother</h3>
Conversely, the youngest brother among your siblings is called: 
<ul>
<li>battei 末弟</li>
</ul>

 
<h2 id="sister-in-japanese">
Sister</h2>
To say sister in Japanese there are different words depending on whether they're your older sister or your younger sister. 
<h3 id="older-sister-in-japanese">
Older Sister</h3>
To say older sister in Japanese: 
 
<ul>
<li>oneesan お姉さん</li>
<li>oneesama お姉さま</li>
<li>oneechan お姉ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
 
 
<h3 id="younger-sister-in-japanese">
Younger Sister</h3>
To say younger sister in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>imouto 妹</li>
</ul>
 
Th term imoutosan 妹さん is used when talking about the imouto of someone else. 
<h3 id="eldest-sister-in-japanese">
Eldest Sister</h3>
An older sister is just any of your sister older than you. The eldest sister is specifically called: 
<ul>
<li>choushi 長姉</li>
</ul>

 
<h3 id="youngest-sister-in-japanese">
Youngest Sister</h3>
Conversely, the youngest sister among your siblings is called: 
<ul>
<li>matsumai 末妹</li>
</ul>

 
<h2 id="siblings-in-japanese">
Siblings</h2>
The words for siblings in Japanese are written with the kanji of the words for brothers and sisters. 
<ul>
<li>kyoudai 兄弟 
Brothers. (male) 
Siblings. (neutral)</li>
<li>shimai 姉妹 
Sisters.</li>
<li>kyoudaishimai 兄弟姉妹 
Brothers and sisters. 
Siblings.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="kyoudai-kanji">
兄弟, 兄妹, 姉弟, 姉妹</h3>
Sometimes, the word kyoudai may be written with different kanji depending on the gender of the siblings, as a gikun, even though the words keimai, shitei and shimai exist. 
<ul>
<li>kyoudai 兄弟 
Older brother, younger brother.</li>
<li>kyoudai 兄妹 
keimai 兄妹 
Older brother, younger sister.</li>
<li>kyoudai 姉弟 
shitei 姉弟 
Older sister, younger brother.</li>
<li>kyoudai 姉妹 
shimai 姉妹 
Older sister, younger sister.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="twins-in-japanese">
Twins</h2>
The word for twins in Japanese is: 
<ul>
<li>futago 双子</li>
</ul>
 
Terms for "multiple birth," tatai 多胎, of higher numbers include: 
<ul>
<li>mitsugo 三つ子 
Triplets.</li>
<li>yotsugo 四つ子 
Quadruplets.</li>
<li>itsutsugo 五つ子 
Quintuplets.</li>
<li>mutsugo 六つ子 
Sextuplets. 
(you know, like in Osomatsu-san おそ松さん)</li>
<li>nanatsugo 七つ子 
Septuplets.</li>
<li>yatsugo 八つ子 
Octuplets.</li>
<li>kokonotsugo 九つ子 
Nonuplets.</li>
<li>juttsugo 十つ子 
Decuplets.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
References</h3>
<h2 id="grandfather-in-japanese">
Grandfather</h2>
To say grandfather in Japanese: 
 
<ul>
<li>ojiisan お祖父さん</li>
<li>ojiichan お祖父ちゃん</li>
<li>ojiisama お祖父様 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
Sometimes the words above are written with another kanji, for example ojiisan お爺さん. This is usually a way to refer to just any "old man" rather than anyone's actual grandfather. Just like "grandpa" is sometimes used toward elders in English. 
 
<ul>
<li>jii じい</li>
<li>jiiji じいじ</li>
<li>jiji 祖父 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#jiji-baba-usage">[jiji, baba usage]</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>gaisofu 外祖父</li>
<li>naisofu 内祖父 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#gaisofu-naisofu-gaisobo-naisobo-sotomago-uchimago-usage">[外祖父 vs. 内祖父]</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="great-grandfather-in-japanese">
Great-Grandfather</h3>

To say great-grandfather in Japanese:
<ul>
<li>sou-sofu 曾祖父 
hii-jiji 曾祖父 
ooooji 大祖父 (seriously? おおおお? Seriously??) 
Great-grandfather.</li>
<li>kou-sofu 高祖父 
Great-great-grandfather.</li>
</ul>

 

(note: there are no common words for greatness above this.)
<h2 id="grandmother-in-japanese">
Grandmother</h2>
To say grandmother in Japanese: 
 
<ul>
<li>obaasan お祖母さん</li>
<li>obaachan お祖母ちゃん</li>
<li>obaasama お祖母様 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
When written as obaasan お婆さん, the word refers to a "old woman" familial relationship. The same as "grandma" is used in English. 
 
<ul>
<li>baaba ばあば</li>
<li>baba 祖母 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#jiji-baba-usage">[jiji, baba usage]</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>gaisobo 外祖母</li>
<li>naisobo 内祖母 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#gaisofu-naisofu-gaisobo-naisobo-sotomago-uchimago-usage">[外祖母 vs. 内祖母]</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="great-grandmother-in-japanese">
Great-Grandmother</h3>

To say great-grandmother in Japanese:
<ul>
<li>sou-sobo 曾祖母 
hii-baba 曾祖母 
Great-grandmother.</li>
<li>kou-sobo 高祖母 
Great-great-grandmother.</li>
</ul>

 

(note: there are no common words for greatness above this.)
<h2 id="grandchild-in-japanese">
Grandchild</h2>
To say grandchild in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>mago 孫 
Grandchild.</li>
<li>magomusuko 孫息子 
Grandson.</li>
<li>magomusume 孫娘 
Granddaughter.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>gaison 外孫</li>
<li>naison 内孫 <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#gaisofu-naisofu-gaisobo-naisobo-sotomago-uchimago-usage">[外孫 vs. 内孫]</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="great-grandchild-in-japanese">
Great-Grandchild</h3>

To say great-grandchild in Japanese and further:
<ul>
<li>himago ひ孫 
himago 曾孫 
souson 曾孫 
Great-grandchild.</li>
<li>yashago 玄孫 
genson 玄孫 
Great-great-grandchild.</li>
<li>raigon 来孫 
Great-great-great-grandchild.</li>
<li>konson 昆孫 
Great-great-great-great-grandchild.</li>
<li>jouson 仍孫 
Great-great-great-great-great-grandchild.</li>
<li>unson 雲孫 
Great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchild.</li>
</ul>

 

Isn't that great?
<h3>
References</h3>
<h2 id="grandparents-in-japanese">
Grandparents</h2>
To say grandparents in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>sofubo 祖父母 
Grandparents. 
Grandfather and [grand]mother.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="great-grandparents-in-japanese">
Great-Grandparents</h3>

To say great-grandparents in Japanese:
<ul>
<li>sou-sofubo 曽祖父母 Great-grandparents.</li>
<li>kou-sofubo 高祖父母 Great-great-grandparents.</li>
</ul>

 

(note: there are no common words for greatness above this.)
<h2 id="uncle-in-japanese">
Uncle</h2>
To say uncle in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "older brother," ani 兄: 
 
<ul>
<li>ojisan 伯父さん</li>
<li>ojisama 伯父様</li>
<li>ojichan 伯父ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
To say uncle in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "younger brother," otouto 弟: 
 
<ul>
<li>ojisan 叔父さん</li>
<li>ojisama 叔父様</li>
<li>ojichan 叔父ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
To say uncle in Japanese, when calling some random old man "uncle" colloquially even though you're not related at all: ojisan 小父さん. 
 
(see <a></a> 
<h2 id="aunt-in-japanese">
Aunt</h2>
To say aunt in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "older sister," ane 姉: 
 
<ul>
<li>obasan 伯母さん</li>
<li>obasama 伯母様</li>
<li>obachan 伯母ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
To say aunt in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "younger sister," imouto 妹: 
 
<ul>
<li>obasan 伯母さん</li>
<li>obasama 叔母様</li>
<li>obachan 叔母ちゃん <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">[san, sama, chan difference]</a></li>
</ul>
 
The word obasan 小母さん may be used colloquially to refer to random old women, family or not. 
 
(see <a></a> 
<h2 id="cousin-in-japanese">
Cousin</h2>
To say cousin in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>itoko いとこ</li>
<li>itoko 従兄弟</li>
<li>itoko 従姉妹</li>
<li>itoko 従兄 
juukei 従兄</li>
<li>itoko 従弟 
juutei 従弟</li>
<li>itoko 従姉 
juushi 従姉</li>
<li>itoko 従妹 
juumai 従妹</li>
</ul>
 
Just use itoko いとこ or check <a></a> 
<h3 id="second-cousin-in-japanese">
Second Cousin</h3>
Your first cousins are the children of the siblings of your parents. Your second cousins are the grandchildren of the siblings of your grandparents, To say second cousin in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>hatoko はとこ 
hatoko 再従兄弟</li>
<li>mataitoko 又いとこ</li>
<li>futaitoko 二いとこ</li>
<li>iyaitoko 弥いとこ</li>
</ul>
 
The いとこ part may be written with kanji following the same rules as the word itoko いとこ, "cousin." 
 
The word hatoko is a <a></a>kana (はとこ) but 4 kanji (再従兄弟). Very exceptional. Anyway, it works the same as its synonyms. You can change the 従兄弟 part in 再従兄弟 depending on the second cousin. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h2 id="nephew-in-japanese">
Nephew</h2>
To say nephew in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>oi 甥</li>
<li>oikko 甥っ子</li>
<li>oigo 甥御</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="niece-in-japanese">
Niece</h2>
To say niece in Japanese: 
<ul>
<li>mei 姪</li>
<li>meikko 姪っ子</li>
<li>meigo 姪御</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="nephew-and-niece">
Nephew & Niece</h2>

To refer to any nephews or nieces you may or may not have:
<ul>
<li>oimei 甥姪</li>
</ul>

 

In other words: kyoudai-shimai no kodomo 兄弟姉妹の子供, "children of your brothers and sisters."
<h2 id="adopted-family">
Adopted Family</h2>
<ul>
<li>koji 孤児 
Orphan.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>yashinau 養う 
To adopt (a child, not an idea, attitude, etc.).</li>
<li>youshi-engumi 養子縁組 
Adoption.</li>
<li>youshin 養親 
Adoptive parent (or parents.)</li>
<li>youshi 養子 
Adopted child.</li>
<li>youfubo 養父母 
Adoptive father and mother. 
Adoptive parents.</li>
<li>youjo 養女 
Adopted daughter.</li>
<li>youka 養家 
Adoptive family.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="blood-related">
Blood Related</h2>
Generally speaking, jitsu 実, "real," implies someone is related by blood, while gi 義 and giri 義理 implies they are not related by blood. 
 
For example: 
<ul>
<li>giri no haha 義理の母 
gibo 義母 
Stepmother. 
Foster mother. 
Mother-in-law.</li>
<li>giri no chichi 義理の父 
gifu 義父 
Stepfather. 
Foster father. 
Father-in-law.</li>
<li>giri no kyoudai 義理の兄弟 
Stepbrothers. 
Foster brothers. 
Brothers-in-law.</li>
</ul>
 
And so on. Some examples of the counterpart: 
<ul>
<li>jitsu no imouto 実の妹 
jitsumai 実妹 
Younger sister related by blood. Biological younger sister.</li>
<li>jitsu no ani 実の兄 
jikkei 実兄 
Older brother related by blood. Biological older brother.</li>
</ul>
 
By the way, chi no tsunagari 血の繋がり, literally "connection of blood," refers to blood relationships. 
<h2 id="nuances">
Nuances, Usage & Differences</h2>
<h3 id="nuances-honorifics">
Honorifics</h3>
A number of words for family members have <a></a>san, chan and sama. For example: 
<ul>
<li>otousan, otouchan, otousama</li>
<li>okaasan, okaachan, oksaama</li>
<li>oniisan, oniichan, oniisama</li>
<li>oneesan, oneechan, oneesama</li>
<li>ojiisan, ojiichan, ojiisama</li>
<li>obaasan, obaachan, obaasama</li>
<li>ojisan, ojichan, ojisama</li>
<li>obasan, obachan, obasama</li>
</ul>
 
These words all refer to the same thing regardless of suffix. That is: oniisan, oniisama, and oniichan all mean "older brother." Likewise, oneesan, oneesama, and oneechan all mean "older sister." 
 
The difference between them is in nuance. 
 
The san suffix may be regarded as neutral. The sama suffix is more formal, traditional, respectful, and puts a distance between the speaker and the person they're referring to. Meanwhile, the chan suffix is less formal, and more intimate, friendly, chummy instead, implying closeness between the speaker and whom they're referring to. 
<h4>
Cues in Anime</h4>
In anime, the suffix used may hint the relationship between the characters and show an aspect of their family. 
 
For example: when calling fathers, mothers, older siblings with sama, it implies respect. This may mean the family places importance in tradition. Like a rich family where children are educated to say "father," and not just "dad," as that may sound ridiculous if heard by others. 
 
In some cases, an older brother or sister being called with sama implies the younger sibling has excessive admiration for them. 
 
On the other side, using chan implies it's a cozier family where rigid norms don't really matter. Toward parents, it may imply a good relationship with them. Or it may imply it's a poor family. Or one from the countryside. 
 
(In Rose of The Versailles, one character is ridiculed in a royal court for calling their parent with -chan.) 
 
Referring to siblings with chan implies the closeness likewise. Sometimes this is done mockingly. 
<h3 id="chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">
父 vs. お父さん, 母 vs. お母さん</h3>
A number of Japanese words for family members have versions with and without honorifics. For example: 
<ul>
<li>chichi and otousan</li>
<li>haha and okaasan</li>
<li>ani and oniisan</li>
<li>ane and oneesan</li>
<li>sofu and ojiisan</li>
<li>sobo and obaasan</li>
</ul>
 
There's no difference between these words in meaning. Both chichi and otousan mean "father." Both haha and okaasan mean "mother." The difference between chichi and otousan, haha and okaasan, etc. is in how they are used. 
 
Basically, it follows the golden rule that you don't use honorifics toward yourself, except on a familial level instead. 
 
The versions with honorifics, otousan, okaasan, etc. are used only when talking to someone inside the family, "relatives," miuchi 身内, while the versions without honorifics, chichi, haha, etc. are used outside the family, "other people," tanin 他人. 
 
For example: 
<ul>
<li>If you are talking to your father, 
you use otousan.</li>
<li>If you are talking to your mother, 
about your father, 
you use otousan.</li>
<li>If you are talking to your brothers, 
about your father, 
you use otousan.</li>
<li>If you are talking to someone you met on the street, 
about your father, 
you use chichi.</li>
</ul>
 
Following that, if you're talking about someone else's relatives, you may use honorifics too. 
 
For example: 
<ul>
<li>watashi no chichi to anata no otousan 私の父とあなたのお父さん 
My father and your father.</li>
</ul>
 
This means that, when one character is talking to someone they are not related to, chichi refers to their father, while otousan refers to the father of whom they're talking to. 
 
Note that to some people mistaking the usage described above makes you look like you weren't properly taught how to use the words. Also note that some people do mistake how the words are used. And some people do not mind how they are used. So it's a really tricky set of words. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="mama-papa-usage">
パパ, ママ</h3>
Some children use the terms papa and mama instead of otousan and okaasan to refer to their own parents. 
 
You might imagine this would only be a trivial fraction of all children, as papa and mama are obviously western words, surely otouchan and okaachan or something more Japanese-sounding would be more adequate? 
 
However, a good portion of the families (39.8% according to the referenced data) have their children use papa and mama inside the family, when not talking to people outside the family. 
 
Note that the word <a></a> 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="chichioya-hahaoya-usage">
父親, 母親</h3>
The terms chichioya and hahaoya differ from haha and chichi in the way they're used. 
 
When you use chichi and haha, you're talking about what a person, who happens to be a father or a mother, is doing. That is, it's merely a way to refer to them, to describe them. You can replace these words by their names every time and the phrase would still make sense. 
 
"Mother went to X," for example. 
 
Meanwhile, chichioya and hahaoya refer to parents as parents, acting in their capacity as parents. They can be used, for example, to speak generally: "a mother would do this," or, "mothers do this." 
 
Furthermore, there are cases where chichioya and hahaoya refer to one's parents, not parents in general. In this case, the terms are used because they feel more general, therefore more distant, and lack the intimate aspect of chichi and haha. 
 
In other words: chichi and haha sound too casual when compared to chichioya and hahaoya, so people use the oya words instead in situations they want to avoid sounding too cozy. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="oyaji-ofukuro-usage">
親父, お袋</h3>
The terms oyaji and ofukuro mean "father" and "mother" respectively. They're used mostly by men, not by women. 
 
In anime, characters calling their fathers oyaji are common. Some of them have a rebel personality, making the term oyaji sound like a disrespectful word. In fact, some people in real life think the term is impolite. 
 
That isn't necessarily true. Sure, these terms aren't exactly full of reverence, however, they're often simply the way people end up calling their parents. It doesn't imply they respect them less or more. It can imply they have a closer relationship, maybe, but it would be wrong to assume someone who says oyaji is in bad terms with their father. 
 
Sometimes, suffixes are added to the words: oyajisan 親父さん, ofukurosan お袋さん. The contraction oyassan おやっさん also exists. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="chichiue-hahaue-aniue-aneue-usage">
父上, 母上, 兄上, 姉上</h3>
There are some Japanese terms for family members that end in ue 上. They're simply the non-ue version with ue added to it. 
<ul>
<li>chichi and chichiue.</li>
<li>haha and hahaue.</li>
<li>ani and aniue.</li>
<li>ane and aneue.</li>
</ul>
 
The words above infer reverence, as ue 上 means above. So they're generally used toward seniors. The words for son, daughter and younger brother, younger sister do not have ue 上 versions. 
 
The difference between chichi and chichiue, haha and hahaue, etc. is in how they're used. There's no difference in meaning. Both chichi and chichiue mean "father," and so on. 
 
The words with ue, chichiue, hahaue, aniue, aneue, are not used in modern times. They were more common in the Meiji era (before 1912). Nowadays chichi and the other non-ue words are used more instead. 
 
So if you have to choose, choose the words without ue. 
 
In writing, the ue words may still be used, just not in speech. Also note that some families still prefer to use the ue words instead, but that's just some particular cases and not the general situation. 
 
In anime, fiction, etc., specially theater pieces, the usage of chichiue, hahaue, aniue, aneue indicates the character comes from a very traditional family, or that they're somehow anachronistic. Like they time-traveled to or from the Meiji era or something. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<ul></ul>
<h3 id="chichigimi-hahagimi-usage">
父君, 母君</h3>
The words fukun, also read chichigimi, and hahagimi, are ways to refer with reverence to a father and a mother. 
 
These words are like chichiue and hahaue: they're rather old, they aren't used much in speech, and they are found more in writing. 
 
One difference, however, is that chichiue and hahaue are used to refer to your own parents, while chichigimi and hahagimi are used to refer to someone else's parents. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="chichigo-hahago-usage">
父御, 母御</h3>
The words chichigo and hahago are just like chichigimi and hahagimi, used to refer to other people's parents, mainly used in writing, except the terms feel a bit older-fashioned. 
 
The word chichigo is also read as tetego. 
<h3 id="sonpu-goshinpu-usage">
尊父, 御親父</h3>
The words sonpu and and goshinpu are mainly used to refer to the parents of whom you're talking. These are also words of reverence, and also used more in writing. 
<h3 id="katakanizations-usage">
ファーザー, マザー, シスター, ブラザー</h3>
The words faazaa, mazaa, shisutaa, and burazaa are <a></a> 
 
Although these words aren't really used in real life to refer to people's family, they're often seen in loaned words that make use of them, like "motherboard," for example. 
 
More often, these words refer to another type of relationship. For example, shisutaa can refer to a "nun," like "sister" sometimes does in English. 
 
In anime, there are cases where characters may call their family by these words but that's just anime being anime. 
<h3 id="aniki-aneki-usage">
兄貴, 姉貴</h3>
The words aniki and aneki refer to a brother and a sister respectively. These words are like aniue and aneue, they refer to them with reverence, except they are still used in speech to this day. 
 
The reason for this is probably that aniki and aneki are sometimes used to refer not to one's real brother, but just to an older guy or girl whom they respect. That is: it's basically , the "bro" version, and its female counterpart. 
 
In particular, in anime it's common for gang members to call their boss aniki, even if that boss is just a middle-management kinda boss and he has a bossier gang boss himself. Likewise, girl gangs would use aneki. 
<ul></ul>
<h3 id="anija-aneja-usage">
兄者, 姉者, 兄者人, 姉者人</h3>
The words anija and aneja are words used in the past to refer to the "older brother" and "older sister" respectively. They aren't used in modern speech, but you may see it in songs, anime, manga, etc. 
 
They're abbreviations of anijahito 兄者人 and anejahito 姉者人. 
 
Since these words infer reverence to whom they refer to, they exist only for the seniors, the older brother and older sister. 
 
Words such otoja 弟者, which would be the "younger brother" variant, probably did not exist when onija and oneja were in use,. Instead, it's possible they were made up in modern times. Remember: onija and oneja are still used in fiction, music, etc. today. So someone, knowing onija was a word, figured otoja would be a word too. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="obocchan-ojousan-usage">
お坊ちゃん, お嬢さん</h3>
The terms obocchan and ojousan are two separate words that have similar usage. They refer to someone else's son and daughter respectively, and they're used in reverence. 
 
The origin of obocchan seems to come from "Buddhist priests," bouzu 坊主. Because of their iconic crew cut hairstyle, the term "bouzu head," bouzu-atama 坊主頭, even came to mean that. And young boys, who had such hairstyle, ended up being called obocchan affectionately. 
 
This is why obocchan, with the affectionate chan, often refers to the son of someone, while obousan, with a simple san, rather refers to a Buddhist priest. 
 
The word ojousan, on the other hand, normally refers to someone's daughter, simply put. But it can be used in other ways too. 
 
For example, sometimes ojousan refers to a young woman whose name is unknown. 
 
Because the terms obocchan and ojousama refer to children but have honorifics, they've come to be associated with children of rich families. After all, among lesser enriched families people wouldn't waste time with such pleasantries. 
 
In anime, it's often butlers, maids, etc. that call the children of their masters these words: 
<ul>
<li>obocchan おぼっちゃん</li>
<li>obocchama おぼっちゃま</li>
<li>ojouchan お嬢ちゃん</li>
<li>ojousan お嬢さん</li>
<li>ojousama お嬢様</li>
</ul>
 
Since these terms are associated with rich children, it's sometimes the case of saying someone is an obocchan or ojousama mockingly if they appear to be from a rich family. In this case you aren't really saying "son" or "daughter," it's more like a slang that implies they're snobby, or have a different social position, tastes, etc. 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="ooji-ooba-usage">
おおじ, おおば</h3>

The terms ooji and ooba are used to refer to a grandfather and grandmother respectively. These terms come from oochichi 大父, literally "great father," and oohaha 大母, "great mother," respectively.
<h3 id="jiji-baba-usage">
じじ, ばば</h3>
The terms jiji, baba are used to refer to a grandfather and a grandmother respectively. The terms jii じい and jiiji じいじ are distortions of jiji じじ, while baaba ばあば is a distortion of baba ばば. 
 
These terms are usually associated with children, who eventually stop using these words and start saying something else when they grow up. This isn't always the case, however, as there are adults who use them too. 
 
Some people consider these terms a bit rude, believing ojiisan and obaasan should be used instead. 
<h3 id="gaisofu-naisofu-gaisobo-naisobo-sotomago-uchimago-usage">
外祖父, 内祖父, 外祖母, 内祖母, 外孫, 内孫</h3>
Historically, Japan has a system where the one true heir of a given family is usually be the "oldest son," chounan 長男, the "first-born son," ichinan 一男. 
 
Since this heir would inherit everything of the family, the family business, firms, heirlooms, cursed swords with demons sealed inside, houses, properties, style of martial arts, assets, etc. the heir would probably have to stay home learning about his ancestry and the techniques that have been passed down his family line for generations. 
 
Meanwhile, the daughters and the younger sons would go away and get married off into other families. 
 
Because of this, there's a practice of calling the heirs of the family line "inside," uchi 内, since they stay inside the family, and those that married into the family "outside," soto 外, since they come from outside the family. This can be seen in the following words: 
<ul>
<li>nai-sofu 内祖父</li>
<li>nai-sobo 内祖母</li>
<li>nai-son 内孫 
uchi-mago 内孫</li>
<li>gai-sofu 外祖父</li>
<li>gai-sobo 外祖母</li>
<li>gai-son 外孫 
soto-mago 外孫</li>
</ul>
 
The easiest way to tell these apart is the surname, or family name. 
 
If your grandparent had to changed their family name to yours, they're from "outside" and entered the family. If your grandchild has a different surname than yours, they've left your family and gone "outside." 
 
Generally speaking, the child of your son is "inside" while the child of your daughter is "outside." 
 
An exception happens when a mukoyoushi 婿養子 is involved, which is a husband that takes the wife's family name. If your son is a mukoyoushi, he changed his family name, so his child is going to be "outside" your family. Conversely, if your daughter marries a mukoyoushi, she keeps your family name, so her child would be "inside" your family. 
 
The practice of calling heirs this way has fallen out of usage since World War II, probably because it became less relevant in modern times. Because of this, not everyone knows the words' original meanings. 
 
Instead, they'll assume a gaisofu always means the maternal grandfather, as it normally means that, even though there's a possibility that's not the case. 
 
For example, if your father is mukoyoushi, then gaisofu would be your paternal grandfather, because your mother kept her family name. Since you inherited the family name from your mother, you were born "inside" your mother's family, and "outside" your father's family. Consequently, your mother parents are "inside" and your father parents "outside." 
<h4>
References</h4>
 
<h3 id="oji-oba-kanji-difference">
叔父, 伯父, 叔母, 伯母</h3>
In Japanese, the words "uncle," oji, "aunt," oba, and their derivatives may be <a></a>oji, 伯母 and 叔母 for oba. 
 
The difference between 伯父 and 叔父 is that 伯父 is your "mother or father's older brother," fubo no ani 父母の兄, while 叔父 is your "mother or father's younger brother," fubo no otouto 父母の弟. 
 
Likewise, the difference between 伯母 and 叔母 is that 伯母 is your "mother or father's older sister," fubo no ane 父母の姉, while 叔母 is your "mother or father's younger sister," fubo no imouto 父母の妹. 
<h4>
Why Different Kanji?</h4>
The truth is there aren't Japanese words for your "parent's younger brother" and for your "parent's older brother." There's only one single word for both cases: oji, your "parent's brother." 
 
The reason it gets written differently according to the seniority is because kanji were imported from China, and in the Chinese language (I guess) there's one word for the younger brother uncle and one word for the older brother uncle. 
 
So Chinese had four words while Japanese only has two, oji and oba. This mismatch is why there are extra ways to write the same Japanese word and those extra ways bear different meaning according to their Chinese origins. 
<h3 id="itoko-kanji-difference">
従兄弟, 従姉妹, 従兄, 従弟, 従姉, 従妹</h3>
The word for cousin in Japanese, itoko いとこ, may be <a></a> 
 
When written with just the kanji for older brother, younger brother, older sister, or younger sister, it implies the gender and age of the cousin in question. In this case, the age refers to whether the cousin is older or younger than you (or if you say X's cousin, older or younger than X.) 
<ul>
<li>itoko 従兄 
Older male cousin.</li>
<li>itoko 従弟 
Younger male cousin.</li>
<li>itoko 従姉 
Older female cousin.</li>
<li>itoko 従妹 
Younger female cousin.</li>
</ul>
 
Those kanji can be combined, just like in the words "brothers," kyoudai 兄妹, or "sisters," shimai 姉妹, in which case it refers to: 
<ul>
<li>itoko 従兄弟 
Male cousins.</li>
<li>itoko 従姉妹 
Female cousins.</li>
<li>itoko 従兄妹 
One male cousin and his younger sister.</li>
<li>itoko 従姉弟 
One female cousin and her younger brother.</li>
</ul>
<h4>
Why Itoko Has So Many Kanji?</h4>
The reason why the word itoko words this way is because in Chinese there are actually different words depending on the cousin and the kanji combinations stem from how those words are written in hanzi.. 
 
Basically, there's just one common Japanese word, itoko, for all those Chinese counterparts, which is why itoko becomes gikun 
 
Sometimes those words can get read with instead, changing depending on the kanji, for example: 
<ul>
<li>juukei 従兄</li>
<li>juutei 従弟</li>
<li>juushi 従姉</li>
<li>juumai 従妹</li>
</ul>
<h4>
References</h4>
 

For reference, a list of words for family members in Japanese.This post is so long it needs an introduction. To clear any doubts you may have: <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/same-kanji-different-reading.html">Kanji can be read different ways</a> . This is why父 andお父さん are written like that. Furthermore, <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/same-word-different-kanji.html">one same word can be written with different kanji</a> There are too many synonyms in this article. Check the <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#nuances">nuances</a> section at the end for clarification between multiple words. (in particular, <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#chichi-vs-otousan-haha-vs-okaasan">the difference between chichi 父 and otousan お父さん</a> The termas seen in the titles of many referenced articles stands for "not good" and means you shouldn't use or say something.A summarized version of this whole article:Here's a chart of the Japanese family words:To say family in Japanese:(Note:お鼻 means "nose.")When "family" refers to one's "household," the term家庭 is used instead. This would be used in cases like "familial" matters, something that happened inside the family. That is:is a family as a structure, kinship, whileis domestic, related to home.One phrase common in anime is家庭事情, "familial circumstances," usually used when a characters parents want him to move from one school to another or something like that.To say father in Japanese:Note: a "father" as in a "priest" of the Catholic church, etc. is神父 in Japanese.The words for mother in Japanese:The word for son in Japanese is:Toward the sons of other people, the following words are used:The termsandare more formal and may be considered too formal to use normally, speciallyThe word for daughter in Japanese is:Toward the daughters of other people, the following words are used:The termsandare formal, and sometimes considered too formal to be used normally, speciallyTo say parent in Japanese:The terms above may all be used to say "parents" in Japanese. The termご両親, with theご honorific, is used to refer to the parents of other people, not your parents, only of other people.To say child in Japanese:The word子供 may refer to someone's "children" in plural,〇〇の子供. But it may also refer to "children" as in "they're young."(note: there's an entirely separate article for <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/03/ko-meaning.html">ko 子</a> because that word has other uses.)The following terms are used when when talking about parent and child at the same time.Sometimes, thefor "daughter,"娘, may be used instead of子 in the words above to hint the gender of the child is female. These'd be, artificial readings. For example:In Japanese, there are terms for sons and daughters based their birth order, which are used instead of phrases like "first son," "oldest son," "first daughter," etc. we'd use in English.Normally, the children are counted using numbers and counters.You may have noticed the terms次男 and次女 are not written with thefor "two,"二, and not readandeither. This happens because they second son and daughter are the "next" (after the first) son and daughter, so they're written with thefor "next,"次. They may be written with 二 too, but they'd still be readandThere are synonyms for "first-born" that use thefor the word "long,"長い, because they've been born for the longest time, they're older, the eldest.For the record: theis theforever. Thenever becomes, not even if thedies and thesurpasses him in (living) age. The same applies to the other words.The terms for the "youngest" child in Japanese used thefor the word "end,"末, as they're the last children born and consequently at the end of the offspring list.In some cases, parents may name their sons following a certain custom of adding a suffix according to their birth order. In which case, the name of a person (or anime character) hints whether they're the youngest or have an older brother, etc.For example, in, the name of the sons of main character's family are:, andThis practice is called <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/haikoumei-birth-order-japanese-names.html">haikoumei 輩行名</a> To say husband in Japanese:The word above means "husband" literally. The following words are used when referring to one's husband in person:The wordoriginates from the "lord,"主, of a home, implying the husband, in which case everyone else in that same home serves the lord, the man of the house.Although most people don't really care the term's origins, some of the working women in modern society may be against its usage, as the word seems rather sexist. It always means husband, never wife, implying you can assume the lord of the house is male. The term女主人 exists for female, but that word is not used to say "wife."The term, with the honorific prefix御, would refer to other people's husbands, as it's unusual to use honorifics toward yourself. You don't need to use honorific suffixes () with this word.In anime, the termoften refers to a maid's "master," in other words, the lord of the house where the maid serves. It's also used in similar fashion in other contexts.Thewords are often used more casually thanBesides meaning "husband," the wordmay also refer to the master of a house, like, and sometimes it can also refer to the master (owner) of a shop, so long as he is a man.Besides that,旦那, written as檀那, means "(male) patron," and it's used to refer to male customers of shops. This is similar to how the word "boss" is sometimes used in English to refer to customers, as they're the ones giving the orders.Besides that, too, the origin of旦那 lies in the wordダーナ, loaned from Sanskrit, where it would mean "donation." Basically donation means patron means customers means "boss" means master of the shop means master of the house means husband.Sometimes, words that would usually mean " <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#father-in-japanese">father</a> " can be used to refer to one's husband.Sometimes, the wordあなた, meaning "you," is used by wives when talking to their husbands. This contrast with the usual way to refer to people in Japanese: normally you wouldn't refer to people by <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/08/anata-omae-kimi-kisama-meaning.html">you, anata, kimi</a> , etc. and instead refer to them by their names or title (like their profession, etc.)Note thatis only used when talking to the husband. There's no such thing as "my" meaning my "husband."To say wife in Japanese:Originally,referred to the bride of your son, but nowadays it's also used to refer to your own bride, or your own wife too.The termis normally used to refer to other people's wives, not yours. Although some people use it to refer to their own wife.The following terms feel a bit old, but they also exist:To say bride in Japanese:(note:俺の嫁, "my wife/bride," is the Japanese equivalent of <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/01/waifu-meaning.html">my waifu</a> The words to refer to in-laws are the following:The following words have the "artificial,"義, prefix and have other uses (like adoptive relatives, etc.). But they can be used to refer to in-laws too.Some more words about spouses, marriage, husbands and wives:To say brother in Japanese there are different words depending on whether they're your older brother or younger brother.To say older brother in Japanese:To say younger brother in Japanese:The term弟さん is used when talking about theof someone else.An older brother is just any of your brothers older than you. The eldest brother is specifically called:Conversely, the youngest brother among your siblings is called:To say sister in Japanese there are different words depending on whether they're your older sister or your younger sister.To say older sister in Japanese:To say younger sister in Japanese:Th term妹さん is used when talking about theof someone else.An older sister is just any of your sister older than you. The eldest sister is specifically called:Conversely, the youngest sister among your siblings is called:The words for siblings in Japanese are written with theof the words for brothers and sisters.Sometimes, the wordmay be written with differentdepending on the gender of the siblings, as a, even though the wordsandexist.The word for twins in Japanese is:Terms for "multiple birth,"多胎, of higher numbers include:To say grandfather in Japanese:Sometimes the words above are written with another, for exampleお爺さん. This is usually a way to refer to just any "old man" rather than anyone's actual grandfather. Just like "grandpa" is sometimes used toward elders in English.To say grandmother in Japanese:When written asお婆さん, the word refers to a "old woman" familial relationship. The same as "grandma" is used in English.To say grandchild in Japanese:To say grandparents in Japanese:To say uncle in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "older brother,"兄:To say uncle in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "younger brother,"弟:To say uncle in Japanese, when calling some random old man "uncle" colloquially even though you're not related at all:小父さん.(see <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#oji-oba-kanji-difference">叔父, 伯父, 叔母, 伯母</a> for details.)To say aunt in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "older sister,"姉:To say aunt in Japanese, when talking about your parent's "younger sister,"妹:The word小母さん may be used colloquially to refer to random old women, family or not.(see <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#oji-oba-kanji-difference">叔父, 伯父, 叔母, 伯母</a> for details.)To say cousin in Japanese:Just useいとこ or check <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/04/family-members.html#itoko-kanji-difference">従兄弟, 従姉妹, 従兄, 従弟, 従姉, 従妹</a> for the differences.Your first cousins are the children of the siblings of your parents. Your second cousins are the grandchildren of the siblings of your grandparents, To say second cousin in Japanese:The いとこ part may be written withfollowing the same rules as the wordいとこ, "cousin."The wordis a <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/jukujikun-reading-meaning.html">jukujikun 熟字訓</a> that somehow managed to be written with 3(はとこ) but 4(再従兄弟). Very exceptional. Anyway, it works the same as its synonyms. You can change the 従兄弟 part in 再従兄弟 depending on the second cousin.To say nephew in Japanese:To say niece in Japanese:Generally speaking,実, "real," implies someone is related by blood, while義 and義理 implies they are not related by blood.For example:And so on. Some examples of the counterpart:By the way,血の繋がり, literally "connection of blood," refers to blood relationships.A number of words for family members have <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/kun-san-chan-sama-meaning.html">honorifics suffixes</a> that can change betweenand. For example:These words all refer to the same thing regardless of suffix. That is:, andall mean "older brother." Likewise,, andall mean "older sister."The difference between them is in nuance.Thesuffix may be regarded as neutral. Thesuffix is more formal, traditional, respectful, and puts a distance between the speaker and the person they're referring to. Meanwhile, thesuffix is less formal, and more intimate, friendly, chummy instead, implying closeness between the speaker and whom they're referring to.In anime, the suffix used may hint the relationship between the characters and show an aspect of their family.For example: when calling fathers, mothers, older siblings with, it implies respect. This may mean the family places importance in tradition. Like a rich family where children are educated to say "father," and not just "dad," as that may sound ridiculous if heard by others.In some cases, an older brother or sister being called withimplies the younger sibling has excessive admiration for them.On the other side, usingimplies it's a cozier family where rigid norms don't really matter. Toward parents, it may imply a good relationship with them. Or it may imply it's a poor family. Or one from the countryside.(In Rose of The Versailles, one character is ridiculed in a royal court for calling their parent with.)Referring to siblings withimplies the closeness likewise. Sometimes this is done mockingly.A number of Japanese words for family members have versions with and without honorifics. For example:There's no difference between these words in meaning. Bothandmean "father." Bothandmean "mother." The difference betweenandand, etc. is in how they are used.Basically, it follows the golden rule that you don't use honorifics toward yourself, except on a familial level instead.The versions with honorifics,, etc. are used only when talking to someone inside the family, "relatives,"身内, while the versions without honorifics,, etc. are used outside the family, "other people,"他人.For example:Following that, if you're talking about someone else's relatives, you may use honorifics too.For example:This means that, when one character is talking to someone they are not related to,refers to their father, whilerefers to the father of whom they're talking to.Note that to some people mistaking the usage described above makes you look like you weren't properly taught how to use the words. Also note that some peoplemistake how the words are used. And some people do not mind how they are used. So it's a really tricky set of words.Some children use the termsandinstead ofandto refer to their own parents.You might imagine this would only be a trivial fraction of all children, asandare obviously western words, surelyandor something more Japanese-sounding would be more adequate?However, a good portion of the families (39.8% according to the referenced data) have their children useandinside the family, when not talking to people outside the family.Note that the word <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/02/mama-kono-mama-sono-mama-meaning.html">mama まま</a> also means "the way something is."The termsanddiffer fromandin the way they're used.When you useand, you're talking about what a person, who happens to be a father or a mother, is doing. That is, it's merely a way to refer to them, to describe them. You can replace these words by their names every time and the phrase would still make sense."Mother went to X," for example.Meanwhile,andrefer to parents as parents, acting in their capacity as parents. They can be used, for example, to speak generally: "a mother would do this," or, "mothers do this."Furthermore, there are cases whereandrefer to one's parents, not parents in general. In this case, the terms are used because they feel more general, therefore more distant, and lack the intimate aspect ofandIn other words:andsound too casual when compared toand, so people use thewords instead in situations they want to avoid sounding too cozy.The termsandmean "father" and "mother" respectively. They're used mostly by men, not by women.In anime, characters calling their fathersare common. Some of them have a rebel personality, making the termsound like a disrespectful word. In fact, some people in real life think the term is impolite.That isn't necessarily true. Sure, these terms aren't exactly full of reverence, however, they're often simply the way people end up calling their parents. It doesn't imply they respect them less or more. It can imply they have a closer relationship, maybe, but it would be wrong to assume someone who saysis in bad terms with their father.Sometimes, suffixes are added to the words:親父さん,お袋さん. The contractionおやっさん also exists.There are some Japanese terms for family members that end in上. They're simply the non-version withadded to it.The words above infer reverence, as上 means above. So they're generally used toward seniors. The words for son, daughter and younger brother, younger sister do not have上 versions.The difference betweenandand, etc. is in how they're used. There's no difference in meaning. Bothandmean "father," and so on.The words with. They were more common in theera (before 1912). Nowadaysand the other non-words are used more instead.So if you have to choose, choose the words withoutIn writing, thewords may still be used, just not in speech. Also note that some families still prefer to use thewords instead, but that's just some particular cases and not the general situation.In anime, fiction, etc., specially theater pieces, the usage ofindicates the character comes from a very traditional family, or that they're somehow anachronistic. Like they time-traveled to or from theera or something.The words, also read, and, are ways to refer with reverence to a father and a mother.These words are likeand: they're rather old, they aren't used much in speech, and they are found more in writing.One difference, however, is thatandare used to refer to your own parents, whileandare used to refer to someone else's parents.The wordsandare just likeand, used to refer to other people's parents, mainly used in writing, except the terms feel a bit older-fashioned.The wordis also read asThe wordsand andare mainly used to refer to the parents of whom you're talking. These are also words of reverence, and also used more in writing.The words, andare <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/katakanization-meaning.html">katakanizations</a> of the English words "mother," "father," "sister," and "brother."Although these words aren't really used in real life to refer to people's family, they're often seen in loaned words that make use of them, like "motherboard," for example.More often, these words refer to another type of relationship. For example,can refer to a "nun," like "sister" sometimes does in English.In anime, there are cases where characters may call their family by these words but that's just anime being anime.The wordsandrefer to a brother and a sister respectively. These words are likeand, they refer to them with reverence, except they are still used in speech to this day.The reason for this is probably thatandare sometimes used to refer not to one's real brother, but just to an older guy or girl whom they respect. That is: it's basically, the "bro" version, and its female counterpart.In particular, in anime it's common for gang members to call their boss, even if that boss is just a middle-management kinda boss and he has a bossier gang boss himself. Likewise, girl gangs would useThe wordsandare words used in the past to refer to the "older brother" and "older sister" respectively. They aren't used in modern speech, but you may see it in songs, anime, manga, etc.They're abbreviations of兄者人 and姉者人.Since these words infer reverence to whom they refer to, they exist only for the seniors, the older brother and older sister.Words such弟者, which would be the "younger brother" variant,whenandwere in use,. Instead, it's possible they were made up in modern times. Remember:andare still used in fiction, music, etc. today. So someone, knowingwas a word, figuredwould be a word too.The termsandare two separate words that have similar usage. They refer to someone else's son and daughter respectively, and they're used in reverence.The origin ofseems to come from "Buddhist priests,"坊主. Because of their iconic crew cut hairstyle, the term "head,"坊主頭, even came to mean that. And young boys, who had such hairstyle, ended up being calledaffectionately.This is why, with the affectionate, often refers to the son of someone, while, with a simple, rather refers to a Buddhist priest.The word, on the other hand, normally refers to someone's daughter, simply put. But it can be used in other ways too.For example, sometimesrefers to a young woman whose name is unknown.Because the termsandrefer to children but have honorifics, they've come to be associated with children of rich families. After all, among lesser enriched families people wouldn't waste time with such pleasantries.In anime, it's often butlers, maids, etc. that call the children of their masters these words:Since these terms are associated with rich children, it's sometimes the case of saying someone is anorif they appear to be from a rich family. In this case you aren't really saying "son" or "daughter," it's more like a slang that implies they're snobby, or have a different social position, tastes, etc.The termsare used to refer to a grandfather and a grandmother respectively. The termsじい andじいじ are distortions ofじじ, whileばあば is a distortion ofばば.These terms are usually associated with children, who eventually stop using these words and start saying something else when they grow up. This isn't always the case, however, as there are adults who use them too.Some people consider these terms a bit rude, believingandshould be used instead.Historically, Japan has a system where the one true heir of a given family is usually be the "oldest son,"長男, the "first-born son,"一男.Since this heir would inherit everything of the family, the family business, firms, heirlooms, cursed swords with demons sealed inside, houses, properties, style of martial arts, assets, etc. the heir would probably have to stay home learning about his ancestry and the techniques that have been passed down his family line for generations.Meanwhile, the daughters and the younger sons would go away and get married off into other families.Because of this, there's a practice of calling the heirs of the family line "inside,"内, since they stay inside the family, and those that marriedthe family "outside,"外, since they come from outside the family. This can be seen in the following words:The easiest way to tell these apart is the surname, orIf your grandparent had to changed their family name to yours, they're from "outside" and entered the family. If your grandchild has a different surname than yours, they've left your family and gone "outside."Generally speaking, the child of your son is "inside" while the child of your daughter is "outside."An exception happens when a婿養子 is involved, which is a husband that takes the wife's family name. If your son is a, he changed his family name, so his child is going to be "outside" your family. Conversely, if your daughter marries a, she keeps your family name, so her child would be "inside" your family.The practice of calling heirs this way has fallen out of usage since World War II, probably because it became less relevant in modern times. Because of this, not everyone knows the words' original meanings.Instead, they'll assume aalways means thegrandfather, as it normally means that, even though there's a possibility that's not the case.For example, if your father is, thenwould be yourgrandfather, because your mother kept her family name. Since you inherited the family name from your mother, you were born "inside" your mother's family, and "outside" your father's family. Consequently, your mother parents are "inside" and your father parents "outside."In Japanese, the words "uncle,", "aunt,", and their derivatives may be <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/same-word-different-kanji.html">written with different kanji</a> : 伯父 and 叔父 for, 伯母 and 叔母 forThe difference between 伯父 and 叔父 is that 伯父 is your "mother or father's older brother,"父母の兄, while 叔父 is your "mother or father's younger brother,"父母の弟.Likewise, the difference between 伯母 and 叔母 is that 伯母 is your "mother or father's older sister,"父母の姉, while 叔母 is your "mother or father's younger sister,"父母の妹.The truth is there aren't Japanese words for your "parent's younger brother" and for your "parent's older brother." There's only one single word for both cases:, your "parent's brother."The reason it gets written differently according to the seniority is becausewere imported from China, and in the Chinese language (I guess) there's one word for the younger brother uncle and one word for the older brother uncle.So Chinese had four words while Japanese only has two,and. This mismatch is why there are extra ways to write the same Japanese word and those extra ways bear different meaning according to their Chinese origins.The word for cousin in Japanese,いとこ, may be <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/same-word-different-kanji.html">written with different kanji</a> depending on what it refers to.When written with just thefor older brother, younger brother, older sister, or younger sister, it implies the gender and age of the cousin in question. In this case, the age refers to whether the cousin is older or younger than you (or if you say X's cousin, older or younger than X.)Thosecan be combined, just like in the words "brothers,"兄妹, or "sisters,"姉妹, in which case it refers to:The reason why the wordwords this way is because in Chinese there are actually different words depending on the cousin and thecombinations stem from how those words are written in hanzi..Basically, there's just one common Japanese word,, for all those Chinese counterparts, which is why itoko becomes gikunSometimes those words can get read withinstead, changing depending on the, for example:</div>

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