妹

What it means

What does 妹 mean? It means your younger sister—a female sibling who is younger than you. In Japanese it is a straightforward noun used to refer to one's own sister or to describe a younger female relative or figure in various contexts, from family talk to media references.

Main meanings

• Younger sister in a family sense: a female child of your parents who is younger than you.
• Polite reference to someone else's sister: 妹さん (imouto-san) adds respect when talking about another's sister.
• In fiction and media, 妹 often labels a younger sister character or a younger female figure (imouto archetype).

How to use it

Used as a noun to denote a younger sister; in casual family speech you use 妹 or 妹さん, while 妹さん is the polite form when mentioning someone else’s sister; in formal writing you may specify context with kin terms or title as appropriate.