Family 1

Saying words like my and your is easy in Japanese! Just add の (no) to words like I and you!

彼の名前は何ですか？
Kare no namae wa nan desu ka?
What is his name?

あなたの子供は何歳ですか？
Anata no kodomo wa nan‑sai desu ka?
How old is your child?

By the way! 彼ら (karera) generally refers to men, or a group where men are the majority. For groups of women, you can use 彼女たち (kanojotachi).

Japanese has lots of words to talk about family! When you talk to your family members, or when you talk about other people’s family, you generally use the words that end with that respectful ‑さん (san).

おかえりなさい、お父さん。
Okaerinasai, otо̄san.
Welcome back, Dad.

お母さんはお元気ですか？
Okāsan wa o‑genki desu ka?
Is (your) mother well?

彼のお姉さんは大学生です。
Kare no onēsan wa daigakusei desu.
His older sister is a college student.

But, when you talk to others about your own family, you actually use different words!

父も母も元気です。
Chichi mo haha mo genki desu.
(My) father and (my) mother are well.

Notice that if you have two nouns, you can put も (mo) after each one to mean both my father and my mother!

Remember, when you count nouns, you need to use a counter with the number. We’ve seen 人 in words like 日本人 (nihonjin). This kanji means person, and you also use it to count people.

兄が一人います。
Ani ga hitori imasu.
(I) have one older brother.

姉が二人います。
Ane ga futari imasu.
(I) have two older sisters.

一人 (hitori) and 二人 (futari) have irregular pronunciation. But from 三 (san) and up, you can pretty much just add 人! Notice that with numbers, it’s pronounced nin.

彼はお兄さんが三人います。
Kare wa onīsan ga san‑nin imasu.
He has three older brothers.

彼女はお姉さんが四人います。
Kanojo wa onēsan ga yo‑nin imasu.
She has four older sisters.

When someone leaves or comes home, there are some customary phrases Japanese people say! It’s a bit more meaningful than just saying Goodbye! The phrases express a promise from and a wish for the person to return safely.

行ってきます！
Ittekimasu!
I’m off!

行ってらっしゃい！
Itterasshai!
Take care!

When someone comes back home, there’s another pair of phrases to announce their presence, and to acknowledge them in return!

ただいま！
Tadaima!
I’m home!

おかえりなさい！
Okaerinasai!
Welcome back!

私 watashi I	私の watashi no my
あなた anata you	あなたの anata no your
彼 kare he	彼の kare no his
彼女 kanojo she	彼女の kanojo no her
彼ら karera they	彼らの karera no their

your own family	other people’s family
父 chichi (my) father	お父さん otо̄san father
母 haha (my) mother	お母さん okāsan mother
兄 ani (my) older brother	お兄さん onīsan older brother
姉 ane (my) older sister	お姉さん onēsan older sister