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お兄ちゃん。。。

In English, there aren't single words to distinguish your older brother from your younger brother. You have to add "younger" or "older". In Japanese, there are separate words that contain the meaning of "younger" or "older".

Just like "father" and "mother", there are two terms for "older brother" that are used at different times. One term, あに, is used when talking about your own brother (but not to him). Let's have Clara give us an example:

The other term, おにいさん, is used when talking to your brother (or about someone else's brother). Note that below Clara says おにちゃん instead of おにいさん. This adds a feeling of familiarity.

Interestingly enough, there aren't two terms like this for "younger brother". As a younger person, there isn't a need to be as respectful with them.

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#kanji #kanjicomics #父 #お父さん #japanese #japanese vocab #beginner

The Difference Between "Father"s (and other family)

Yesterday, we started studying the kanji for family members with 父 (father). We'll be looking at the rest of the family over the next few weeks, but there's something we need to talk about before we do.

I don't know about other languages, but in English the main difference between different words for "father" or "mother" are levels of familiarity.

Look at the terms that Kevin uses:

Kevin is a bit intimidated by Kimiko's dad, so he calls her "father". He has a better relationship with his own dad, so he just calls him "dad".

Of course, we can see the same idea in some Japanese words for family members, but a major distinction between two common terms for father is "possessiveness". The term "おとうさん" applies to fathers in general. The term "ちち" is only used when you are talking about your dad, but not to him. A little confusing, perhaps, so let's have Kevin help us out again.

Kevin says "おとうさん" when talking about Kimiko's dad, and also his own dad when he is calling him over, i.e. when he is talking directly to his dad. When introducing his dad to us, he uses "ちち".

We'll look at some examples in the next few days. Stay tuned!

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