兄
Older Brother
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| きょう | あに | 口 + 儿 |
Meaning: Older Brother
Who’s someone who’s just a mouth with legs? That’s your know-it-all older brother, who won’t shut up about anything.
To help this mnemonic along, literally imagine your older brother as someone that’s just a giant mouth with a pair of legs walking it around. It talks and talks and talks, too, irritating you. Feel the irritation specifically at your older brother. He’s older than you, so you can’t beat him up… yet.
Reading: きょう
To remember the reading きょう, we use the Japanese word 今日 (きょう, today), because you’ve learned that word already in the past.
The strange thing about your older brother… he was actually born 今日, as in, this very day, and this very year. That’s strange because he’s older than you, but he was born after you. How in the world is that possible?
Over time we’ll train you to associate “today” with 今日 (きょう), but until that day comes, just try your best.
Vocabulary
You’ll be seeing the on’yomi reading at a later date, so keep that in your mind. For now, you ought to learn these vocab words and their kun’yomi readings (if you can).
a 兄（あに）＝ Older Brother
- Meaning: The meaning is the same as the kanji
- Reading: Ani (short for Anakin Skywalker) was like an older brother to C3PO and R2D2.
a お兄さん（おにいさん）＝ Older Brother (honorific polite)
- Meaning: This is the respectful / honorific way to say older brother. You should be respectful to your older brother, you know. He could pinch you really hard if you don’t.
- Reading: The reading is similar to 兄, though not quite the same. Still, you can use your knowledge of 兄 to help you to remember this one. Just remember how it’s different from 兄 and then you’ll be able to remember this.
a 兄さん（にいさん）＝ Older Brother (honorific)
- Meaning: Also honorific and also polite, but not quite as polite as the one with an お in the beginning
- Reading: If you know お兄さん, you should know 兄さん. It’s the same word, after all.