Home › Japanese › Glossary › sibling
Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "sibling" in Japanese?
兄弟姉妹
kyoudaishimai
In Japanese, "sibling" is 兄弟姉妹 (kyoudaishimai).
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
Kyoh-dah-ee-shee-mai, starting with a quick 'kyo' glide, then four more syllables rolling out steadily like a small chant.
Writing and usage
兄弟姉妹 is written using kanji. 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
弟妹は私の部屋を共有しています。
teimai ha watashi no heya wo kyouyuu shiteimasu.
My younger sibling shares my room.
Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember 兄弟姉妹
It's literally 'brothers-sisters' mashed into one word — kyoudai (brothers) plus shimai (sisters), so you're saying both genders at once.
Related words
- relative 親戚 shinseki
- ancestor 先祖 senzo
- descendant 子孫 shison
- couple カップル kappuru
- partner パートナー paatonaa
- babysitter ベビーシッター bebiishittaa
- guardian 後見人 koukennin
- mentor メンター mentaa
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 兄弟姉妹
How do you pronounce 兄弟姉妹?
Kyoh-dah-ee-shee-mai, starting with a quick 'kyo' glide, then four more syllables rolling out steadily like a small chant.
Is 兄弟姉妹 formal or casual?
兄弟姉妹 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 兄弟姉妹 written in Japanese?
兄弟姉妹 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as kyoudaishimai.
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.
"Sibling" 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.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town