お姉さん

お姉さん

Japanese

Kanji in this term
姉
ねえ Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Alternative forms

• お姐さん (rare)

Etymology

お +‎ 姉 +‎ さん

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• (Tokyo) おね​えさん [ònéꜜèsàǹ] (Nakadaka – [2])[1]
• IPA^(key): [o̞ne̞ːsã̠ɴ]

Noun

お姉(ねえ)さん • (onē-san) 

1. (honorific) elder sister: used as term of address to one's own older sister, and to refer to other people's older sisters
   • 1994 January 20 [Dec 17 1988], Oze, Akira, “第４話　兄の命 [Chapter 4: Brother’s Life]”, in 夏子の酒 [Natsuko’s Saké], volume 1 (fiction), 14th edition, Tōkyō: Kōdansha, →ISBN, page 93:

     義姉(ねえ)さん
     夏(なっ)ちゃん
     なんで義姉(ねえ)さんが働(はたら)いてるの？休(やす)んでればいいのに
     いいのこのほうが気(き)がまぎれるし……手(て)が足(た)りないの

     Nē-san
     Natchan
     Nan de nē-san ga hataraiteru no? Yasundere ba ii no ni
     Ii no kono hō ga ki ga magireru shi…… Te ga tarinai no

     Sister!
     Natchan!
     Why are you working, sister? You should be resting.
     I needed a distraction… Besides, there aren’t enough hands around here.

2. young woman, young lady

Synonyms

• 姉(あね) (ane): (humble): Used to refer to one's own older sister when talking to someone else.
• お姉(ねえ)ちゃん (onē-chan): (term of endearment): elder sister, big sis

References

1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN