Things can get tricky like that with Japanese! Your Sister vs. The positions of superior/equal/inferior could possibly be different if you both work at the same company. Of course, this particular example of 縦 would only apply within the concept of your family. Your 姉 is in a superior position to you and your 妹 is in an inferior one, if only because of the order of your births. Well the Japanese language and culture are defined by this 縦 concept and it’s no different when it comes to talking about your sisters. If you’ve ever seen an organization chart that lays out a company’s hierarchy, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are always three positions that other people hold in relation to you: a superior position, an equal position, and an inferior position. This brings us to the concept of 縦 (tate) which literally means “vertical”. So a girl can be both an 妹 and an 姉 at the same time, but just to different people. My younger sister might also be the older sister of another one of my siblings. Now both 妹 and 姉 are interesting because they are both relative to the situation they are used in. I don’t really know the reason behind the construction of 姉, but as long as you can recognize it for what it means and not get it mixed up with 妹, then you should be good.īy the way, if you just want to talk about all of your sisters, both younger and older, you actually combine both of the kanji together and form the compound word 姉妹 (shimai).Īnd if you’ve got twin sisters, then you’ve got 双子の姉妹 (futago no shimai). Could it be that older sisters worked in the city markets? Or perhaps it was the older sister’s responsibility to go to the markets in town to pick up new supplies? Here is the breakdown on the kanji for “big sister”: Woman + Market = Older sister As you can, see it also contains the kanji for “woman” 女 just like the kanji for “little sister” 妹 does. The word 姉 (ane) means “older sister” in Japanese. Speaking of older sisters… Big Sister – 姉 (ane) I specifically mention this because the kanji for “older sister” looks similar to this one. If you are also an older sibling, then I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.Īs long as you can remember the meanings of these two kanji when they are separate, then you shouldn’t have any problems identifying 妹 as “younger sister” when you see it. Now this isn’t to say that younger sisters aren’t full-fledged women, but as an older brother myself I can kind of understand the protective feelings and sense of responsibility a person has towards their younger siblings. If you examine the kanji for it, you will see that it was created by taking two different kanji, and then combining them into a single new kanji. The word 妹 (imouto) means “younger sister” in Japanese. 6) The More You Know, The More You Know! Little Sister – 妹 (imouto)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |