Word
兄弟
Meaning in Englishsiblings, brothers
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
It means siblings or brothers; used to refer to one’s male siblings or more generally to the group of siblings in a family. It is a common kinship term in everyday Japanese and appears in both casual speech and formal writing.
Main meanings
- brothers in the singular sense, i.e., male siblings, or collectively as siblings
- the concept of the sibling pair or group within a family context
- in extended usage it can refer to close peers or fellow members in a group as a fraternal term
How to use it
Used across formal and informal contexts to denote siblings; in everyday speech it commonly refers to brothers, and in more formal contexts such as genealogies or official documents it maintains a neutral kinship sense. Typical patterns include 兄弟がいる, 兄弟仲が良い, and 兄弟について.
Variants and close terms
- kyōdai shimai (kyoudai shimai) meaning siblings including both genders
- お兄さん (oniisan) older brother, 弟さん (otoutosan) younger brother
Composition
- 兄 = elder brother
- 弟 = younger brother
- When combined, they denote a sibling pair or the concept of siblings, typically referring to male siblings
Etymology
kyō dai from the on'yomi readings of 兄 and 弟, combined to form kyōdai; the individual kanji carry the meaning elder brother and younger brother, which underpins the word's sense of a sibling pair
Word class
Noun (名詞)