妹

• 読み: いもうと
• ローマ字: imouto
• 漢字の分解: 妹 (imouto/mai) — younger sister; 女 (onna) — woman; 未 (mi) — not yet
• 発音: /i.moː.to/

意味

Younger sister. The standard term for one's own younger sister.

Used when talking about your own younger sister to others. The polite form 妹さん is used for someone else's younger sister. In Japanese culture, the seniority distinction among siblings is important and always reflected in the vocabulary used.

例文

1. 妹は小学生です。
2. 妹に日本語を教えています。
3. 妹は猫が大好きです。

使い方ガイド

場面: talking about family, self-introduction, daily conversation

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From Old Japanese. The kanji 妹 combines 女 (woman) and 未 (not yet), suggesting a woman who has not yet matured — the younger female sibling.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal