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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "aunt" in Japanese?
おばさん
obasan
In Japanese, "aunt" is おばさん (obasan).
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Pronunciation
Oh-bah-sahn, three syllables, close in shape to ojisan but with a 'ba' instead of 'ji'.
Writing and usage
おばさん is written using hiragana. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
叔母は別の街に住んでいます。
oba ha betsuno machi ni sun deimasu.
My aunt lives in another city.
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How to remember おばさん
Obasan swaps just one syllable from ojisan, uncle, so learning them as a pair makes both stick faster.
Related words
- grandfather 祖父 sofu
- grandmother 祖母 sobo
- uncle おじさん ojisan
- nephew 甥 oi
- niece 姪 mei
- cousin いとこ itoko
- stepfather 継父 mamachichi
- stepmother 継母 mamahaha
- godfather 名付け親 nazuke oya
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about おばさん
How do you pronounce おばさん?
Oh-bah-sahn, three syllables, close in shape to ojisan but with a 'ba' instead of 'ji'.
Is おばさん formal or casual?
おばさん is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is おばさん written in Japanese?
おばさん is written using hiragana. Romanised, it reads as obasan.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Aunt" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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