Japanese Family Words: Complete Guide to Family Terms

Understanding Japanese Family Words

Learning how to talk about family members in Japanese can feel overwhelming at first. The japanese language has different words depending on whether you're talking about your own family or someone else's, and there are formal and informal versions of basically everything. But here's the thing: once you understand the pattern, it actually makes a lot of sense.

I'm going to walk you through all the essential family terms you need to know, from immediate family to extended relatives. You'll learn when to use which term, and I'll include the kanji, hiragana, and romaji for each word so you can recognize them in different contexts.

Why Learn the Japanese Family Terms?

Family vocabulary comes up constantly in everyday Japanese conversations. When you meet someone new, talking about family is one of the most common small talk topics. You'll hear these words in anime, dramas, and manga all the time. Plus, understanding the distinction between how Japanese people refer to their own family versus others' families gives you insight into Japanese culture and politeness levels.

The way Japanese handles family terms reflects the cultural importance of hierarchy and respect. Younger siblings get different treatment than older siblings. Your own parents get humble terms while other people's parents get respectful ones. It's pretty cool how the language builds these social relationships right into the vocabulary.

Basic Family Vocabulary

Let's start with the foundational japanese family words that apply broadly.

Kazoku (家族) means "family" in the general sense. This is the word you'd use when talking about family as a concept or your family unit as a whole.

Ryoushin (両親) means "parents" when referring to both mother and father together. This works for both your own parents and others' parents.

Kyoudai (兄弟) technically means "siblings" but literally refers to brothers. However, it's commonly used for siblings in general in casual conversation.

Shimai (姉妹) means "sisters" specifically.

These basic terms give you the foundation, but the real depth comes when you learn the individual family member terms.

Immediate Family: Parents

The words for mother and father in japanese family systems have multiple versions depending on context.

Father Terms

Chichi (父) is how you refer to your own father when talking to people outside your family. It's the humble form. You'd say something like "Chichi wa kaishain desu" (My father is a company employee).

Otousan (お父さん) is the polite term you use when talking about someone else's father, or when addressing your own father directly. This is what you'd actually call your dad to his face. The kanji breaks down as お (honorific prefix) + 父 (father) + さん (polite suffix).

Oyaji (親父) is a very casual, rough way to say "dad" or "old man." You'll hear this in casual male speech, but it's not polite.

Touchan (父ちゃん) or Tousan (父さん) are affectionate, casual ways children might address their father.

Papa (パパ) exists too, borrowed from English, and some families use it.

Mother Terms

Haha (母) is the humble form for your own mother when speaking to outsiders. "Haha wa sensei desu" means "My mother is a teacher."

Okaasan (お母さん) is what you call your own mother directly, or how you refer to someone else's mother politely. Same structure as otousan with the honorific prefix and suffix around 母 (mother).

Ofukuro (お袋) is a rough, masculine way to say "mom," similar to oyaji for fathers.

Kaachan (母ちゃん) or Kaasan (母さん) are warm, casual forms.

Mama (ママ) is the English loanword version.

Immediate Family: Siblings

This is where Japanese gets really specific. The japanese word you use for siblings depends on whether they're older or younger than you, AND whether you're talking about your own siblings or someone else's.

Older Brother

Ani (兄) is your own older brother when talking about him to others.

Oniisan (お兄さん) is someone else's older brother, or what you might call your own older brother directly. You'll also hear this used as a general term for young men, like how shopkeepers might say "oniisan" to male customers.

Niisan (兄さん) is a shortened casual version.

Aniki (兄貴) is a rough, masculine term that shows respect but in a tough-guy way.

Younger Brother

Otouto (弟) is your younger brother. Unlike older siblings, you typically just use this term directly. You'd call your younger brother by his name, not by this family term.

Otoutosan (弟さん) is someone else's younger brother when being polite.

Older Sister

Ane (姉) is your own older sister when talking about her.

Oneesan (お姉さん) is someone else's older sister or how you address your own older sister. Like oniisan, this gets used for young women generally too.

Neesan (姉さん) is the casual shortened form.

Younger Sister

Imouto (妹) is your younger sister.

Imoutosan (妹さん) is someone else's younger sister in polite speech.

The other question you might have is why not use honorifics for younger siblings? In Japanese culture, respect and honorific language flows upward in hierarchy. Older siblings have seniority over younger ones, so the formal, respectful terms apply to older brothers and older sisters. Younger siblings are below you in the family hierarchy, so you refer to them more plainly and call them by name.

Immediate Family: Children

Kodomo (子供) means "child" or "children" generally.

Musuko (息子) is "son." This is how you'd refer to your own son.

Musukosan (息子さん) is someone else's son.

Musume (娘) is "daughter," for your own daughter.

Musumesan (娘さん) is someone else's daughter.

Extended Family: Grandparents

Sofu (祖父) is your own grandfather.

Ojiisan (お祖父さん or お爺さん) is someone else's grandfather or how you'd address your own. The kanji 祖父 specifically means grandfather, while 爺 means old man. Both are written as ojiisan in hiragana.

Sobo (祖母) is your own grandmother.

Obaasan (お祖母さん or お婆さん) is someone else's grandmother or how you'd address yours. Again, 祖母 specifically means grandmother while 婆 means old woman.

Be careful with pronunciation here. Ojisan (おじさん) with a short "i" means uncle or middle-aged man, while ojiisan (おじいさん) with a long "i" means grandfather. Same with obasan (aunt) versus obaasan (grandmother). The long vowel matters.

Extended Family: Aunts and Uncles

Oji (伯父 or 叔父) is your uncle. The kanji actually differs: 伯父 is your parent's older brother, while 叔父 is your parent's younger brother. But they're both pronounced "oji."

Ojisan (おじさん) is someone else's uncle or how you'd address your own uncle.

Oba (伯母 or 叔母) is your aunt, with the same kanji distinction for older versus younger.

Obasan (おばさん) is someone else's aunt or how you'd address your aunt.

Extended Family: Cousins

Itoko (従兄弟 or 従姉妹) means cousin. The kanji can specify gender (従兄弟 for male cousins, 従姉妹 for female cousins), but they're all pronounced the same way.

Interestingly, Japanese doesn't have as many specific terms for different types of cousins as English does. Whether they're your first cousin or second cousin, maternal or paternal side, they're all itoko.

In-Laws and Marriage

When you get married, you gain a whole new set of family members with specific terms.

Giri (義理) is a prefix that means "in-law." You attach it to family terms to indicate the relationship through marriage.

Giri no chichi (義理の父) or Giri no haha (義理の母) are father-in-law and mother-in-law respectively. Though many people also use Shuuto (舅) for father-in-law and Shuutome (姑) for mother-in-law.

Giri no ani (義理の兄) is brother-in-law (older), Giri no ane (義理の姉) is sister-in-law (older), and so on.

Otto (夫) means husband.

Tsuma (妻) means wife.

Shujin (主人) is another word for husband, literally meaning "master," which reflects traditional gender roles.

Kanai (家内) is another word for wife, literally "inside the house."

Danna (旦那) is yet another term for husband, often used by wives referring to their own husbands.

In modern Japanese, many couples prefer otto and tsuma as they're more neutral and equal.

Curious About Families in Japan?

Japanese family structure has changed significantly over the past few decades. The traditional multi-generational household where grandparents, parents, and children all lived together is becoming less common, especially in urban areas. Nuclear families are now the norm in cities.

Birth rates in Japan have been declining for years, so families are getting smaller. The average Japanese family has fewer children than in previous generations. Single-child families are increasingly common.

The concept of ie (家), the traditional family system where the family name and property passed through the eldest son, used to be legally enforced. That system was abolished after World War II, but cultural echoes of it remain in how some families operate.

Want to Know a Distant Family Term?

Beyond immediate and extended family, there are terms for more distant relatives.

Shinrui (親類) or Shinseki (親戚) both mean "relatives" in general.

Mago (孫) means grandchild.

Himago (ひ孫) means great-grandchild.

Oigo (甥) means nephew.

Mei (姪) means niece.

These terms are useful when you need to explain more complex family relationships or talk about family trees.

Using Japanese Family Terms in Real Conversations

Would you like to learn how to use Japanese words for family members in the context of genuine interactions? Here are some practical examples.

When introducing your family: "Watashi no kazoku wa yon-nin desu. Chichi to haha to ane to watashi desu." (My family has four people. My father, mother, older sister, and me.)

When asking about someone's family: "Gokazoku wa nan-nin desu ka?" (How many people are in your family?)

When talking about what family members do: "Ani wa daigakusei desu." (My older brother is a university student.)

The key thing to remember is the humble-versus-polite distinction. Your own family members get the plain terms (chichi, haha, ani, ane, otouto, imouto) when you're talking ABOUT them to others. But you address them directly using the polite forms (otousan, okaasan, oniisan, oneesan) or their names.

Other people's family members always get the polite forms with the honorific prefixes and suffixes.

Tips for Learning and Remembering These Terms

The sheer number of family words in japanese vocabulary can feel overwhelming. Here's how I'd approach learning them.

Start with the immediate family terms you'll use most often: mother, father, and siblings. Get comfortable with those before moving to extended family.

Practice the humble versus polite distinction early. Make flashcards that show both versions side by side so you internalize the pattern.

Pay attention to the kanji. The character 父 (chichi/tou) always relates to father, and 母 (haha/kaa) always relates to mother. The character 兄 (ani/kei) means older brother, 弟 (otouto) means younger brother, 姉 (ane) means older sister, and 妹 (imouto) means younger sister. Recognizing these kanji helps you decode compound words.

The honorific お (o) at the beginning and さん (san) at the end signal the polite form. Once you notice this pattern, it becomes easier to remember which version to use when.

Listen for these terms in japanese language content. Anime and dramas are full of family conversations. Pay attention to who uses which term in which context. You'll start to internalize the natural usage patterns.

Create example sentences using your own family. "My father is a teacher" or "My older sister lives in Tokyo." Personalizing the vocabulary makes it stick better.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't use the polite forms when talking about your own family to outsiders. Saying "watashi no otousan" sounds like you're being overly formal about your own dad. Use "watashi no chichi" instead.

Don't mix up the long and short vowels in ojiisan/ojisan and obaasan/obasan. You might accidentally call your grandfather "uncle" or vice versa.

Don't forget that Japanese family terms encode hierarchy. You can't just use one generic word for "sibling" in most contexts. You need to specify older or younger.

Remember that younger siblings typically get called by their names, not by "otouto" or "imouto" directly. Those terms are mainly for talking ABOUT your younger siblings to others.

Building Your Japanese Family Vocabulary

These family terms form an essential part of basic japanese vocabulary. You'll encounter them constantly in conversation, media, and written japanese. Getting comfortable with them early in your language learning journey pays off.

The cultural insights embedded in these words teach you about Japanese social structure, respect, and family dynamics. The language reflects the culture's values around hierarchy, age, and relationships.

Start using these terms actively. Talk about your family in Japanese. Describe family relationships. The more you use them, the more natural they'll become.

If you're watching Japanese shows or reading manga, you're already hearing these terms all the time. Pay attention to the context and who's saying what to whom. That real-world exposure helps cement the usage rules way better than just memorizing lists.

Anyway, if you want to actually learn japanese through immersion with real content, Migaku's browser extension lets you look up words instantly while watching shows or reading articles. You can create flashcards from the family terms you encounter in actual Japanese media, which makes the vocabulary stick way better. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.