Meet 弟 in everyday words: its meaning here is younger brother. Learn each word with its own reading.

The idea

弟 has 7 strokes. Follow the linked stroke-order diagram. 弟 is read おとうと and means one’s younger brother; 弟さん is read おとうとさん and means someone’s younger brother. 兄弟 is read きょうだい: siblings.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
弟おとうとone’s younger brother
弟さんおとうとさんsomeone’s younger brother
兄弟きょうだいsiblings

Examples

  • 弟おとうとは学生がくせいです。My younger brother is a student.
  • 弟おとうとは毎朝まいあさコーヒーを飲のみます。My younger brother drinks coffee every morning.
  • 弟おとうとは東京とうきょうに住すんでいます。My younger brother lives in Tokyo.
  • 弟おとうとと公園こうえんへ行いきます。I go to the park with my younger brother.
  • 弟おとうとは魚さかなが好すきです。My younger brother likes fish.
  • 弟おとうとさんは学生がくせいですか。Is your younger brother a student?
  • 兄弟きょうだいと晩ばんご飯はんを食たべます。I eat dinner with my siblings.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Compare 弟 with 第; notice their different parts and strokes rather than guessing from the overall shape. When speaking to someone outside your family, use 弟 for your own younger brother; 弟さん is a respectful way to refer to someone else’s younger brother. 兄弟 can refer to siblings of any gender, not only brothers.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 弟 in hiragana.

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    おとうと

    弟 is read おとうと; it means one’s younger brother. Remember the reading with the whole word.

  2. Write the reading of 弟さん in hiragana.

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    おとうとさん

    弟さん is read おとうとさん; it means someone’s younger brother. Remember the reading with the whole word.

  3. Write きょうだい in kanji for “siblings”.

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    兄弟

    兄弟 is written with 弟 and read きょうだい; it means siblings.

Use it today

Write 弟 three times using the linked stroke order. Cover the table, read 弟 and 弟さん, and make a sentence with one of them.