How to Say ‘Someone's older sister’ in Japanese
お姉さん
o nee san
[oh neh sahn]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Shop staff and strangers may call a young woman お姉さん even though they're not related. It's a friendly, flattering way to address her.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
Makes 荷物 more polite in customer service language.
おを付けると丁寧です。
Adding お makes it polite.
姉
nee
[neh]
older sister
Kanji for older sister. With the polite prefix and suffix, it becomes the respectful word for someone else's older sister, or what you call your own older sister directly.
姉妹はいますか。
Do you have any sisters?
さん
san
[sahn]
Mr.; Ms.; polite suffix
さん is a polite suffix attached to people's roles or names, adding respect.
おじいさんがきました。
Grandfather came.
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