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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "cousin" in Japanese?
いとこ
itoko
In Japanese, "cousin" is いとこ (itoko).
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Pronunciation
EE-toh-koh, three syllables, even and light throughout.
Writing and usage
いとこ 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
いとこが休暇中に訪ねてきました。
itokoga kyuukachuu ni tazune tekimashita.
My cousin visited during the holidays.
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How to remember いとこ
Itoko has a bouncy, playful rhythm, fitting for the more casual family tie of a cousin.
Related words
- grandfather 祖父 sofu
- grandmother 祖母 sobo
- uncle おじさん ojisan
- aunt おばさん obasan
- nephew 甥 oi
- niece 姪 mei
- stepfather 継父 mamachichi
- stepmother 継母 mamahaha
- godfather 名付け親 nazuke oya
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about いとこ
How do you pronounce いとこ?
EE-toh-koh, three syllables, even and light throughout.
Is いとこ formal or casual?
いとこ 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 いとこ written in Japanese?
いとこ is written using hiragana. Romanised, it reads as itoko.
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.
"Cousin" in other languages
Curated by Jack 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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