姉
姉 — Elder sister
elder sister
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiあね (ane)
Kun’yomiはは (haha)
Stroke order (8 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 姉
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 姉 | あね ane | older sister; elder sister |
| 姉妹 | しまい shimai | sisters |
| お姉さん | おねえさん oneesan | older sister; elder sister; young lady |
| 姉さん | ねえさん neesan | older sister; elder sister; young lady |
| 従姉妹 | いとこ itoko | cousin (female) |
| 義姉 | ぎし gishi | sister-in-law (spouse's older sister or older brother's wife); older stepsister; older adopted sister |
Study notes
姉 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1473 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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