Japanese Family Terms - Your Complete Guide To Address Your Relatives (2024)

FAQs

How do Japanese people address their cousins? ›

Older, younger, male or female: 従兄弟 all male cousins. 従姉妹 all female cousins. 従兄 older male cousin.

Uncle: 叔父さん (Ojisan) / 叔父 (Oji) Aunt: 叔母さん (Obasan) / 叔母 (Oba)

If you want to show a real appreciation of Japanese culture, then we suggest you consider using the suffix 'sama' to address people more senior than you as this term indicates extra deference. It's not essential – san will do but the use of 'sama' shows that you appreciate the seniority of this person and their role.

Oji – “Uncle”

First-cousin marriage is allowed in Japan, though the incidence has declined in recent years. China has prohibited first-cousin marriage since 1981, although cross-cousin marriage was commonly practiced in China in the past in rural areas.

Oniisan [お兄さん] or Oneesan [ お姉さん] > General term for older brother and sister. 2. Oniichan [お兄ちゃん] or Oneechan [お姉ちゃん] > Term for older brothers and sisters. Signifying closeness.

Japan: Obaasan is the Japanese word for grandmother, but Japanese boys and girls are much more likely to call their grandmothers Sobo.

When addressing an entire family use the family's last name preceded by “The.” For example, “The Smiths.” Use professional titles when appropriate. Always use professional titles when addressing members of the clergy, elected officials, doctors or those who have earned their Ph. D.

The order should go as followed: spouse, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, parents, and siblings. It should be noted that nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws are typically unmentioned unless they were especially close to the deceased.

Japan. In Japan, most people use “Oto-san” which is a formal and polite word to call their father. While “Chichi” is used to refer to one's father when they talk to someone else, “Oyaji” (Old man) is an informal way for sons to call their fathers.

What do you call your nephew in Japan? ›

uncle: 伯父さん ojisan. (your) niece: 姪(御さん) mee(gosan) (your) nephew: 甥(御さん) oi(gosan) cousin: 従兄 itoko.

Daarin (ダーリン)

Daarin is the best way to say 'my darling' in Japanese. Since the Japanese language doesn't really have any native terms of endearment, they have borrowed this from English! Daarin is a gender-neutral term of endearment, so both boyfriends and girlfriends can call each other this way.

Auntie is the most traditional pick. You could also mine other languages for options—Tia is Spanish for aunt, but it's Tante in France and Germany, Theia in Greece, Zia in Italian, Oba in Japanese, Chaachee in Hindi, and Guma in Chinese.

As a rule of thumb, in Japanese business life, the surname name is always followed by the honorific suffix “san” (meaning “dear” or actually “honorable Mr/Ms.”). There are of course many other options such as “sama” (highly revered customer or company manager) or “sensei” (Dr. or professor).

4: Samaさま In the hierarchy of Japanese honorifics, this one sits at the top. Samaさま is a more formal term of address for those deserving of the utmost respect, those of higher rank, and anyone you'd like to communicate deference and admiration for.

Do not address them by their first name unless they have given you permission. If you do not know their name, you may use sir or ma'am again unless they tell you differently. If meeting an elder for the first time, do not sit with them unless you ask permission.

1. お姉さん (Oneesan) – Big Sister, Older Sister, Young Lady. お姉さん (oneesan) can be used to refer to someone else's sister or when talking to your own sister. You can also use this word to talk about someone else's older sister, even if they are strangers or your superiors.

Learning about how to refer to family members can be a little tricky in Japanese! Generally, there are two standard Japanese words for sister: ane (姉 / あね) for 'older sister' and imouto (妹 / いもうと) for 'younger sister'.

It's no surprise, then to learn that the Japanese word for grandfather is ojiisan. The informal term, which is what one would call one's own grandfather, is sofu. Some Japanese children call their grandparents Jiji (from ojiisan) and Baba (from obaasan, Japanese for grandmother).

The rates of first cousin marriages and of total consanguineous marriages for all areas are 1.6% and 3.9%, respectively. The mean inbreeding coefficient is 0.00134 for all areas of Japan.

Is first cousin marriage common in Japan? ›

East Asia. First-cousin marriage is allowed in Japan , though the incidence has declined in recent years.

In the United States, second cousins are legally allowed to marry in every state. However, marriage between first cousins is legal in only about half of the American states. All in all, marrying your cousin or half-sibling will largely depend on the laws where you live and personal and/or cultural beliefs.

Noun. kyodai (plural kyodai) A high-ranking member of the yakuza, accountable to the shatei gashira.

Kun is not only used to address females formally; it can also be used for a very close friend or family member. Calling a female -kun is not insulting and can also mean that the person is respected, although that is not the normal implication.

In the Philippines, the term is primarily used and recognized within Chinese Filipino families as the predominant term to refer to and address the eldest sister in the family, and by extension, any elder sister in the family or even any older young female that the speaker is familiar with.

In ancient Greek, "Yaya" meant literally "woman." Today, Greek grandmothers are called "Yaya," likely because they have achieved womanhood. In an Afro-Caribbean religious sect, found mostly in Brazil and the Congo, the word "Yaya" refers to a woman who has gone through a religious initiation.

Another popular subset of unique names are those that are derived from the (most often) grandmother's first name. So Gabby McCree is Gigi. “It's an abbreviation for 'Grandma Gabby' and also my initials growing up,” she says.

According to Babycenter.com, the following are the most popular grandparent names. For grandma, we have Nana, Grammy, Granny, Mimi, Gram, Nanny, Oma, Mamaw and Gran. For grandpa, there's Papa, Granddad, Gramps, Pop-Pop, Poppy, Papaw, Pop, Opa and Pappy.

Traditionally for married couples, you include the male's first and last name (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Arendt). It's likely the most familiar and the most common way to address envelopes.

If both have different titles or the same title but different last names, distinguish each full name with a relevant title, joined by "and" (The Reverend Henry Jones and Dr. Anna Jones or Dr. Henry Jones and Dr. Anna Smith).

How do you address your close friends and relatives? ›

Casual or very close relationships require an informal form of address: First name (friends, students, children) Miss/Mr + first name (sometimes used by dance or music teachers or childcare workers)

Use a lowercase letter to refer to a relative in general: My aunt is home from her trip. My grandpa came with her. Review this Family Vocabulary. Then write a paragraph introducing some of the people in your immediate and extended family.

The standard way to address one's mother is with 'okaa-san' (お母さん) or some variation thereof. To refer to one's own mother, one is likely to use haha (母) to people outside the family.

Musume (娘 / むすめ) is the standard word for daughter in Japanese. However, there are differences in the ways it can be used. It depends on whose daughter you are speaking about, or speaking to.

Unlike many western cultures, in Japan people generally don't call one-another by their first name. Doing so can be a mark of disrespect, unless you're very close to the other person and in the right sort of casual environment, so you've read. Mental note then: first names are best avoided.

お 兄 にい さん • (onii-san) (honorific) elder brother.

Obachan is a Japanese word for "grandmother." The word is usually written as Obaachan to distinguish it from the word for "aunt." They sound almost exactly the same save the longer "a" sound for grandmother.

Niece is the female form of the word nephew and refers to the daughter of brother or sister or of one's brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

What is a flirty nickname for a girl? ›

Pumpkin, peanut, bubby, baby, babe, bae, honey, darling, sugar, sweetie, honeybunch…

Yuri (Japanese: 百合, lit. "lily"), also known by the wasei-eigo construction girls' love (ガールズラブ, gāruzu rabu), is a genre of Japanese media focusing on intimate relationships between female characters.

The boy, who was ashamed of his given name — Oji-sama — which translates to Prince, is starting a new life as Hajime, a change which was legally endorsed by a family court last week.

Aunts are sometimes called Auntie or Aunty. A man is a nephew to their Aunt and a woman is a niece. An aunt is part of an extended family. The child of an aunt's is a cousin.

titi: modeled on terms for aunt and uncle in Spanish (tía and tío) zizi: modeled on terms for aunt and uncle in Italian (zia and zio)

A nephew is the son of someone's brother or sister. A niece is the daughter of the person's brother or sister. To the nephew or niece, the person is their uncle or aunt.

As is common in East Asian cultures, in Japanese the family name always comes first.

Traditionally, family names come first in Japanese, as they do in China and Korea. But beginning in the late 19th century, Japanese began adopting the Western custom of putting the given name first and family name second, at least when writing their names in English.

In Japanese business settings, people usually call each other by their last names plus the suffix –san. In more conservative companies, people are often addressed by their titles rather than their names, such as bucho-san for a department head.

There are four basic terms: 'Kun' and 'Chan' are the most common, although ~san and even ~sama are often used for respecting older siblings or when addressing other people's siblings. In addition, Nii [兄] and Nee [姉] can be addressed with the honorific title “O”, which expresses even more respect.

How do Japanese family names work? ›

Naming Conventions

The family name (known as 'myouji' or 'ue no namae') is inherited patrilineally from one's father and shared with other siblings. It always comes before the given name. The given name (known as 'sh*ta no namae') is chosen at birth as the individual's personal identifier.

Unlike many western cultures, in Japan people generally don't call one-another by their first name. Doing so can be a mark of disrespect, unless you're very close to the other person and in the right sort of casual environment, so you've read. Mental note then: first names are best avoided.

As a rule of thumb, in Japanese business life, the surname name is always followed by the honorific suffix “san” (meaning “dear” or actually “honorable Mr/Ms.”). There are of course many other options such as “sama” (highly revered customer or company manager) or “sensei” (Dr. or professor).

In Japan, there is always a clear understanding whether you're in a formal situation or a casual one. While “Hajimemash*te” is reserved for casual situations, “Yoroshiku onegaishimasu” is of the formal variety.

In Japan, why is it that people refer to others by their last name? the people who don't know each other in the office, school etc., they call their family name. this is means they represent their family and see the person who represents the other family.

It is common in Japan to call each other by last name, unless they are very close friends. However, in case of foreigners (from Western countries), the first name is commonly used, unless you are there on business (and sometimes even in business).

Japanese: written 田中 'center of the rice paddy'. One of the ten most common surnames in Japan it is particularly frequent around the city of Ōsaka and is also found in the Ryūkyū Islands. It is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku but the surname is borne by many unrelated families.

“友達” (tomodachi) is a word that means a friend. Each person may have his or her own criteria for judging whether someone is a friend or not. In Japan, it seems that many people don't refer to people they haven't talked to much or met only a few times as “友達” (tomodachi).

Kun くん This is a suffix seen as masculine, used for teenagers and young men. Sometimes, it is used to refer to young women, but only in very specific situations. It's usually used by people seen as superior, since this honorific is mostly used when one person of higher status is talking to a younger person.