How to Talk About Your Parents and Siblings

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Japanese by JapanesePod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about your parents and siblings in Japanese.

For example, "Yes. This is my father, mother, little brother, little sister, and me." is

はい。ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

Rin Sasaki is at a coffee shop with her classmate, Hana Hashimoto.

Rin is showing some pictures to Hana. Hana points to one of them and asks about the people visible in it.

Before you hear the conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

ちち (chichi)

"father"

ちち (enunciated)

ちち

はは(haha)

"mother"

はは (enunciated)

はは

おとうと (otōto)

"little brother"

おとうと (enunciated)

おとうと

いもうと (imōto)

"little sister"

いもうと (enunciated)

いもうと

Listen to the conversation, and focus on the response.

りんちゃんのかぞくですか。(Rin-chan no kazoku desu ka.)

はい。ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu. )

Once more with the English translation.

りんちゃんのかぞくですか。(Rin-chan no kazoku desu ka.)

"Is [this] your family, Rin?"

はい。ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

"Yes. This is my father, mother, little brother, little sister, and me."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Hana asks,

"Is [this] your family?"

りんちゃんのかぞくですか。(Rin-chan no kazoku desu ka.)

First is りんちゃん (Rin-chan), "Rin." りんちゃん.

This starts with Rin’s name in Japanese, りん (Rin). り-ん. りん.

After this is ちゃん (chan), a suffix attached to a person’s name. ちゃ-ん. ちゃん.

It is often used to address females with whom the speaker has a close relationship, who are younger than the speaker, or who are of lower social status than the speaker. ちゃん (chan). There is no equivalent in English. Instead, the translation is contextual. In this case, it indicates a close relationship between the speaker, Hana, and Rin.

Together, it’s りんちゃん (Rin-chan), "Rin." りんちゃん.

Next is の (no), the possessive-marking particle. の.

Think of の (no) as a way to indicate possession, like the ‘s in Rin’s family. The word it follows possesses the thing that comes after it. In this sentence, it marks りんちゃん (Rin-chan), Rin, as the possessor.

Together, りんちゃんの (Rin-chan no) translates as "Rin’s." りんちゃんの.

After this is かぞく (kazoku), "family" か-ぞ-く. かぞく.

Together, りんちゃんのかぞく (Rin-chan no kazoku) literally means "Rin’s family." りんちゃんのかぞく.

But it translates as “your family.”, in this context.

In Japanese, it’s more common and polite to address a person by their name and polite suffix rather than directly with words like "your" or "you."

Next is です (desu). In this case, it’s like the "is" in "Is [this] your family?" で-す. です.

Last is か (ka), the question-marking particle. This turns the sentence into a question. か.

All together, it’s りんちゃんのかぞくですか (Rin-chan no kazoku desu ka)。This literally means "Rin’s family [this] is,” but it translates as "Is [this] your family?" りんちゃんのかぞくですか。

Note that “this” is understood from the context of the conversation, as Hana is pointing at the picture when she asks the question,

りんちゃんのかぞくですか。 (Rin-chan no kazoku desu ka.)

Remember this question. You’ll hear it again later.

Let’s take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how Rin says,

"Yes. [This] is my father, my mother, my little brother, my little sister and me."

はい。ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。 (Hai. Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

There are two parts to the response.

The first part is はい (hai), meaning, "yes." は-い. はい.

It answers Hana’s yes-or-no question, "Is [this] your family?"

りんちゃんのかぞくですか。(Rin-chan no kazoku desu ka.)

In the second part, Rin lists the different members of heris family as she points to each one.

ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。 (Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

"[This] is my father, mother, little brother, little sister, and me."

ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

First is ちち (chichi), meaning "my father." ち-ち. ちち。

Next is the particle と (to), meaning "and," in this context. と。

はは (haha) "my mother." は-は. はは。

After this, と (to), "and." と。

おとうと (otōto), "my younger brother." お-と-う-と. おとうと.

After this, と (to), "and." と。

いもうと (imōto) "my younger sister." い-も-う-と. いもうと。

Again, と (to) "and." と。

わたし (watashi) translates as "me" in this context. わ-た-し. わたし。

Last is です (desu). In this case, it’s like the "is" in "[This] is my father..." It’s a linking verb. です.

All together, ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.) This literally means, "My father and my mother and and my younger brother and my younger sister and me [this] is," but it translates as, "This is my father, mother, little brother, little sister, and me."

ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

In this case, "this" is understood from context, as it refers to the group of family members in the photograph Rin and Hana are looking at.

Notice this Japanese sentence doesn't include a specific word that means "my" like in English. Instead, it is understood through context.

Again,

ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

The pattern is:

MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD と (to) MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD と (to) MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD と (to) MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD とわたしです. (to watashi desu.)

"MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and me."

Note the particle と (to) follows each family member.

To use this pattern, simply replace {my family member word} with each of your family members.

Imagine your family members are your father, your mother, your older sister, your younger sister, and you.

あね (ane), "older sister." あ-ね (slow version - breakdown by syllable). あね.

Say

"[This] is my father, my mother, my older sister, my little sister, and me."

Ready?

ちちとははとあねといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to imōto to watashi desu. )

"[This] is my father, my mother, my older sister, my little sister, and me."

ちちとははとあねといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to imōto to watashi desu. )

When talking to someone outside your family about your own father, mother, or siblings, use the following words.

ちち (Chichi). “Father.”

はは (Haha). “Mother.”

あに (Ani). “Older brother.”

あね (Ane). “Older sister.”

いもうと (imōto). “Younger sister.”

おとうと (otōto). “Younger brother.” おとうと.

However, when referring to another person’s family members, you will need to use a different set of words.

おとうさん (Otōsan). “Father.” おとうさん (enunciated). おとうさん.

おかあさん (Okāsan). “Mother.” おかあさん (enunciated). おかあさん.

おにいさん (Oniisan). “Older brother.” おにいさん (enunciated). おにいさん.

おねえさん (Oneesan). “Older sister.” おねえさん (enunciated). おねえさん.

おとうとさん (Otōtosan). “Younger brother.” おとうとさん (enunciated). おとうとさん.

いもうとさん (Imōtosan). “Younger sister.” いもうとさん (enunciated). いもうとさん.

Note the following words when you want to directly address members of your own family.

おとうさん (Otōsan). “Father.”

おかあさん (Okāsan). “Mother.”

おにいさん (Oniisan). “Older brother.”

おねえさん (Oneesan). “Older sister.”

You should be aware of these terms referring to other people’s family members, but you won’t need them for this lesson.

Again, the key pattern is

MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD と (to) MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD と (to) MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD と (to) MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD とわたしです. (to watashi desu.)

"MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and MY FAMILY MEMBER WORD, and me."

Let’s look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

"This is my father, mother, little brother, little sister, and me."

ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

ちちとははとあねといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to imōto to watashi desu.)

"This is my father, mother, older sister, little sister, and me."

ちちとははとあねといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to imōto to watashi desu.)

ちちとははとあねとわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to otōto to watashi desu.)

"This is my father, mother, older sister, and me."

ちちとははとあねとわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to otōto to watashi desu.)

ちちとははとあねとおとうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to watashi desu.)

"This is my father, mother, older sister, little brother, and me."

ちちとははとあねとおとうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to watashi desu.)

ちちとははとわたしです。(Chichi to haha to watashi desu.)

"This is my father, mother, and me."

ちちとははとわたしです。(Chichi to haha to watashi desu.)

Did you notice how the last speaker only named three family members?

ちちとははとわたしです。(Chichi to haha to watashi desu.)

"My father, my mother and me."

And how the speaker before named four family members, in addition to herself?

ちちとははとあねとおとうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to ane to watashi desu.)

"My father, my mother, my older sister, my younger brother, and me."

You can add family members with an additional と (to), or remove them, to match the number of members of your family.

This sentence pattern is flexible.

Let's review the key vocabulary.

あね (ane), "my older sister." あ-ね. あね.

おとうと (otōto), "my younger brother," お-と-う-と. おとうと.

いもうと (imōto), "my younger sister," い-も-う-と. いもうと.

Note: these words are part of the set of words that one only uses when speaking about one’s own family members with others.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how to say, "yes"?

はい (hai)

And how to say “me?”

わたし (watashi)

Do you remember how to say "and"?

と (to)

And the word for "my younger sister"?

いもうと (imōto)

And the word for "my younger brother"?

おとうと (otōto)

Do you remember the word for "my mother"?

はは (haha)

And the word for "my father"?

ちち (chichi)

Do you remember how Rin says,

"[This] is my father, my mother, my younger sister and me."

ちちとははとおとうとといもうととわたしです。(Chichi to haha to otōto to imōto to watashi desu.)

Do you remember how to say "family"?

かぞく (kazoku)

And how Hana addresses Rin,

りんちゃん (Rin-chan)

Do you remember how to say, “Rin’s family?

りんちゃんのかぞく (Rin-chan no kazoku)

And do you remember how Hana asks,

"Is this your family?"

りんちゃんのかぞくですか。(Rin-chan no kazoku desu ka.)

And the word for "my older sister?"

あね (ane)

Do you remember the word for "my older brother?"

あに (ani)

Let's practice.

Imagine you’re Haruto, Rin’s younger brother, and you have a father, ちち (chichi), mother, はは (haha), younger sister, いもうと (imōto), and an older sister, あね (ane). Respond to your friend’s question referring to the photo.

Don’t forget to include the word for "yes" at the beginning of your response.

Ready?

はるとくんのかぞくですか。(Haruto-kun no kazoku desu ka.)

はい。ちちとははとあねといもうととわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to ane to imōto to watashi desu. )

Listen again and repeat.

はい。ちちとははとあねといもうととわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to ane to imōto to watashi desu. )

Let’s try another.

Imagine you’re Rin’s college friend, Yukio Yamashita.

You have a father, ちち (chichi), mother, はは (haha), and older sister,あね (ane).

Ready?

やましたくんのかぞくですか。(Yamashita-kun no kazoku desu ka.)

はい。ちちとははとあねとわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to ane to watashi desu.)

Listen again and repeat.

はい。ちちとははとあねとわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to ane to watashi desu.)

Let’s try one more.

Imagine you are Rin’s college classmate, Hana Hashimoto.

You have a father, ちち (chichi), mother, はは (haha), older sister, あね (ane), and younger brother, おとうと (otōto).

Ready?

はしもとさんのかぞくですか。(Hashimoto-san no kazoku desu ka.)

はい。ちちとははとあねとおとうととわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to ane to otōto to watashi desu.)

Listen again and repeat.

はい。ちちとははとあねとおとうととわたしです。 (Hai. Chichi to haha to ane to otōto to watashi desu.)

はい。ちちとははとあねとおとうととわたしです。(Hai. Chichi to haha to ane to otōto to watashi desu.)

Did you notice how Haruto’s friend refers to him in the question

“Is this your family?”

はるとくんのかぞくですか。 (Haruto-kun no kazoku desu ka.)

"Is this your family?"

She calls him Haruto, はるとくん (Haruto-kun).

This starts with Sasha’s name in Japanese, はると (Haruto). は-る-と¥. はると.

After this is くん (kun), a suffix attached to a person’s name. く-ん. くん.

くん (kun) is often used to address males with whom the speaker has a close relationship, who are younger than the speaker, or who are of lower social status than the speaker.

Well Done! This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to talk about your parents and siblings, an essential skill for talking about your family.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

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