How do you say 'parents' in Japanese?

りょうしん (ryōshin) is the humble word for 'parents' (your own). ごりょうしん (go-ryōshin) is the polite form used for someone else's parents. Example: わたしのりょうしんはとうきょうにいます (My parents are in Tokyo). おかあさんとおとうさんはおげんきですか (Are your mother and father well?).

Japanese Family Terms: Your Family vs Someone Else’s

Q: What is the difference between ちち and おとうさん?

ちち (chichi) is the humble form used when talking ABOUT your own father to someone outside your family. おとうさん (otōsan) is the honorific form used when talking TO your father, or when referring to someone else's father. The rule: humble forms for your own family, honorific forms for other people's family.

Q: How do you say 'older brother' in Japanese?

There are two words: あに (ani) is the humble form used when you talk about your own older brother to others. おにいさん (oniisan) is the honorific form used when addressing your brother directly or referring to someone else's brother. The same pattern applies to older sister: あね (ane) vs おねえさん (onēsan).

Q: Why does Japanese have two words for each family member?

Japanese distinguishes between in-group (uchi, 内) and out-group (soto, 外). When talking about your own family to outsiders, you use humble (けんじょうご) forms to lower your family's status slightly, showing humility. When talking about someone else's family, or addressing your own family members directly, you use honorific (そんけいご) forms to show respect.

Q: Do you use おとうさん when talking to your own father?

Yes — when speaking directly TO your father or mother, Japanese people typically use おとうさん and おかあさん even though those are the honorific forms. The humble forms (ちち/はは) are only used when referring to your parent in conversation with someone outside the family — for example, telling a friend 'my father works in Osaka'.

Q: What is the Japanese word for family?

かぞく (kazoku, 家族) means 'family'. It is used both as an in-group word for your own family and as a general term. ごかぞく (go-kazoku) is the polite form for someone else's family. Example sentence: わたしのかぞくはよにんです (My family has four people).

Family members in Japanese often come in two versions: one word for your own family when speaking to outsiders and another polite word for someone else’s family or when speaking directly at home. This guide covers mother, father, older brother, older sister, younger siblings, parents, and relatives, so you can choose the right family word instead of mixing humble and polite forms.

Covers: all core family pairs · the in-group/out-group rule · extended family · example sentences · common mistakes

Written by YoruLearn Editorial Team · Last reviewed: August 2026

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The Core Rule: Humble vs Honorific

Japanese divides the world into in-group (内 uchi) and out-group (外 soto). Your own family is your in-group. Everyone else's family is out-group.

Situation	Which form to use	Example
Talking about YOUR family to an outsider	Humble form	ちちはいしゃです (My father is a doctor)
Talking TO your family member directly	Honorific form	おとうさん、ただいま！ (Dad, I'm home!)
Talking about SOMEONE ELSE's family	Honorific form	おとうさんはおげんきですか (Is your father well?)

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Core Family Vocabulary Pairs

Each entry shows the humble/in-group form on the left and the honorific/out-group form on the right.

Parents

Humble (your own)

ちちchichi — father

Honorific (others / addressing)

おとうさんotōsan — father

Humble

ははhaha — mother

Honorific

おかあさんokāsan — mother

Siblings

Humble

あにani — older brother

Honorific

おにいさんoniisan — older brother

Humble

あねane — older sister

Honorific

おねえさんonēsan — older sister

Humble

おとうとotōto — younger brother

Honorific

おとうとさんotōtosan — younger brother

Humble

いもうとimōto — younger sister

Honorific

いもうとさんimōtosan — younger sister

Grandparents & Children

Humble

そふsofu — grandfather

Honorific

おじいさんojiisan — grandfather

Humble

そぼsobo — grandmother

Honorific

おばあさんobāsan — grandmother

Humble

むすこmusuko — son

Honorific

むすこさんmusukosan — son

Humble

むすめmusume — daughter

Honorific

むすめさんmusumesان — daughter

Full Reference Table

Relation	Humble (内)	Romaji	Honorific (外)	Romaji
Family (general)	かぞく	kazoku	ごかぞく	go-kazoku
Parents	りょうしん	ryōshin	ごりょうしん	go-ryōshin
Father	ちち	chichi	おとうさん	otōsan
Mother	はは	haha	おかあさん	okāsan
Older brother	あに	ani	おにいさん	oniisan
Older sister	あね	ane	おねえさん	onēsan
Younger brother	おとうと	otōto	おとうとさん	otōtosan
Younger sister	いもうと	imōto	いもうとさん	imōtosan
Grandfather	そふ	sofu	おじいさん	ojiisan
Grandmother	そぼ	sobo	おばあさん	obāsan
Son	むすこ	musuko	むすこさん	musukosan
Daughter	むすめ	musume	むすめさん	musumesан
Husband	おっと / しゅじん	otto / shujin	ごしゅじん	go-shujin
Wife	つま / かない	tsuma / kanai	おくさん	okusan
Uncle	おじ	oji	おじさん	ojisan
Aunt	おば	oba	おばさん	obasan

Note: おじいさん (grandfather) vs おじさん (uncle) and おばあさん (grandmother) vs おばさん (aunt) — the long vowel makes all the difference!

Example Sentences

Japanese	English	Notes
わたしのちちはかいしゃいんです。	My father is a company employee.	Humble ちち — talking about own father
おとうさんはおげんきですか。	Is your father well?	Honorific — asking about someone else's father
はははまいにちりょうりをします。	My mother cooks every day.	Humble はは
おかあさん、ただいま！	Mum, I'm home!	Addressing own mother directly → honorific
あにはだいがくせいです。	My older brother is a university student.	Humble あに
おにいさんはなんさいですか。	How old is your older brother?	Honorific — asking about someone else's brother
わたしのかぞくはよにんです。	My family has four people.	Humble かぞく

5 Common Mistakes

Using おとうさん for your own father in third-person sentences. Saying おとうさんはいしゃです to a stranger sounds like you're talking about their father. Say ちちはいしゃです.
Confusing おじいさん and おじさん. おじいさん (long い) = grandfather. おじさん (short i) = uncle. Same trap with おばあさん vs おばさん.
Using しゅじん (husband) in English contexts. しゅじん literally means 'master' — many modern speakers prefer おっと or パートナー. For N5 exams, しゅじん and おくさん are the standard test answers.
Forgetting ご- prefix. りょうしん → ごりょうしん for someone else's parents. Many honorific forms take ご- or お- prefix.
Mixing up はは (mother) and ははは (mother is). In hiragana, ははは (haha wa) looks confusing but the particle は is pronounced 'wa'. Write it with spaces: ははは〜.

FAQ

What is the difference between ちち and おとうさん?

ちち is the humble form — use it when talking ABOUT your own father to someone outside your family. おとうさん is the honorific form — use it when talking TO your father directly, or when referring to someone else's father.

How do you say 'older brother' in Japanese?

あに (humble, your own older brother) vs おにいさん (honorific, someone else's brother or when addressing your own brother directly). The same pattern: あね vs おねえさん for older sister.

Why does Japanese have two words for each family member?

Japanese distinguishes in-group (uchi 内) from out-group (soto 外). Your own family is in-group, so you use humble forms to show modesty. Other people's families are out-group, so you use honorific forms to show respect.

Do you use おとうさん when talking to your own father?

Yes — when speaking DIRECTLY to your father, Japanese people use おとうさん even though it's technically the "honorific" form. The humble forms (ちち/はは) are only used when referring to your parent in conversation with an outsider.

What is the Japanese word for family?

かぞく (kazoku, 家族) for your own family; ごかぞく (go-kazoku) for someone else's family. Example: わたしのかぞくはよにんです (My family has four people).

How do you say 'I have one younger sister' in Japanese?

いもうとがひとりいます (Imōto ga hitori imasu). Use the humble form いもうと. The counter for people is ひとり (1), ふたり (2), さんにん (3)… Note: people use special counters ひとり/ふたり for 1 and 2.

Quick Family-Word Check

Situation	Natural choice	Why
Talking to a teacher about your mother	母	Use the plain in-group word for your own family.
Asking a friend about their mother	お母さん	Use the respectful form for someone else’s family.
Speaking directly to your own mother	お母さん	The respectful form is normal as an address inside the family.

Learn these pairs as a system, not as isolated translations. For related social-language choices, compare this chart with Japanese honorifics.

Sources and Editorial Notes

Family vocabulary is context-sensitive, so this guide separates referring to your own family from addressing relatives directly or discussing another person’s family. Usage is checked against practical beginner communication materials from the Japan Foundation.

Keep studying

JLPT N5 Vocabulary ListYoruLearn guide →Japanese HonorificsYoruLearn guide →Japanese PronounsYoruLearn guide →

Practice Family Vocabulary with YoruLearn

The YoruLearn app helps you drill both forms of every family word — humble and honorific — through spaced repetition flashcards and fill-in-the-blank practice. It tracks exactly which pairs you keep mixing up and reviews them more often until they're locked in.

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Japanese Family Tree: Which Word Changes?

The same relative takes a different word depending on whether you mean your family or someone else’s family. Use this mini tree before the quiz.

Relative	Your family, speaking to others	Someone else’s family / direct address
father	父	お父さん
mother	母	お母さん
older brother	兄	お兄さん
older sister	姉	お姉さん
younger brother	弟	弟さん
younger sister	妹	妹さん

Japanese Family Vocabulary Context Check

Test the in-group / out-group rule in real conversations rather than memorising one English translation per word.

Score: 0 / 0

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