How to Say ‘I have a younger sister.’ in Japanese
妹がいます。
imouto ga i masu
[ee-moh-toh gah ee mahs]
💬 Usage Tip: Literally, "[Younger sister] exists." [が] marks [妹] as the subject.
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is the natural Japanese way to talk about family members, using existence rather than possession.
Phrase Breakdown
妹
imouto
[ee-moh-toh]
younger sister
Your younger sister; used when talking about your own family.
妹がいます。
I have a younger sister.
がいます
ga i masu
have; there is
Used for living things. Here it means “I have a younger sister.”
いぬがいます。
I have a dog.
Words in this phrase
が
ga
[gah]
subject marker
Marks 妹 as the person who exists.
妹がいます。
I have a younger sister.
い
i
[ee]
exist; be
Part of います, for the existence of people.
妹がいます。
I have a younger sister.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
Makes the verb polite in います.
妹がいます。
I have a younger sister.
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