汝兄

汝兄

Japanese

Kanji in this term
汝	兄
な Jinmeiyō	せ Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Etymology

Old Japanese. 汝 (na, variably first- or second-person pronoun: "I" or "you"; here used to mean "I, my") +‎ 兄 (se, “a female's brother”).[1][2][3]

First attested in 712.[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [na̠ɲ̟ise̞]

Noun

汝(な)兄(せ) • (nase) 

1. [from 712] (archaic, women's speech) an intimate form of address for a male by a female: "my brother"[4]

   Coordinate term: 汝妹 (nanimo, “my sister”)

   愛(うつくしき)我(あが)那(な)勢(せの)命(みこと)

   Utsukushiki a ga nase no mikoto

   Thine Augustness, my dear brother

References

1. “汝兄”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
2. “汝兄”, in デジタル大辞泉 (Dejitaru Daijisen)‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
4. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN