February 14, 2008

Family Words

Family words
Humble –when speaking of ones own, of oneself
Exalted
Father
chichi
o-tosan (long o)
Mother
haha
o-kasan (long a)
Older Brother
ani
o-nisan (long i)
Younger Brother
ototo
o-totosan
Older Sister
ane
o-nesan
Younger Sister
imoto
imotosan
Parents
ryoshin (long o)
go-ryoshin (long o)
Husband
shujin (lit. my lord)
go-shujin
Wife
kanai
okusama, or less exalted okusan but still polite and most commonly used as with any word in this column, san can be exchanged for sama in any case and dependant of the level of politeness you are trying to express.

Quick Japanese Vocabulary Chart demonstrating humble and exalted forms of family words for those serious in making Japanese their SL2.

Ganbatte ne!
Do your best!
Makurasuki Sensei