Oniichan is the Japanese word for ‘big bro’, explained

What does “oniichan” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “oniichan” often to mean ‘big bro’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “oniichan” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “oniichan”
• What does “oniichan” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “big bro” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “oniichan”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “oniichan”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “oniichan”.

• oniichan – お兄ちゃん (おにいちゃん) : a noun meaning ‘big bro’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Normally, this noun is used by a younger sibling to call or refer to their elder brother in Japanese. In addition, Japanese native speakers occasionally use this noun to refer to young men in general. This is widely considered less formal, so suitable for casual conversations. It’s also worth mentioning here that this noun can literally mean ‘bro’ in Japanese, but cannot be used between close friends to call each other.

The definition and meaning are not that difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “oniichan” literally mean in Japanese?

“Oniichan” consists of the following three components:

• o – お : a prefix making its following word polite.
• nii – 兄 (にい) : a noun which can mean an ‘elder brother’ in Japanese.
• chan – ちゃん : a suffix often used after someone’s name to call them friendly. This can be considered as the casual version of the most famous honorific suffix, “san”.

These three components tell us that “oniichan” is literally the polite but still friendly expression for ‘elder brother’ in Japanese. And actually, it is. In Japan, younger siblings call their elder brothers with showing their respect and friendliness.

When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “oniichan” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “oniichan” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “big bro” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what the little brother said.
• otouto – 弟 (おとうと) : a noun meaning ‘little brother’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “otouto” to make the subject in the sentence.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make the object in the sentence.
• yon – 呼ん (よん) : one conjugation of the verb, “yobu”, which means ‘to call’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• da – だ : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “yon” to make its past tense form, “yon da”.

This is a typical usage of “oniichan”. Again, but it is normally used by a younger sibling to call their elder brother. Honestly, I’m not really sure if “big bro” is a good translation for “oniichan”, though.

Example #2: another usage of “oniichan”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• kirai – 嫌い (きらい) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “kiraina”, but often used like an individual word to mean ‘to dislike’, ‘not to like’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘not to like’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “kirai” to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “oniichan”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ga”, to become the object in the sentence.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “oniichan” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• oniichan – お兄ちゃん (おにいちゃん) : a noun meaning ‘big bro’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Normally, this noun is used by a younger sibling to call or refer to their elder brother in Japanese. In addition, Japanese native speakers occasionally use this noun to refer to young men in general. This is widely considered less formal, so suitable for casual conversations. It’s also worth mentioning here that this noun can literally mean ‘bro’ in Japanese, but cannot be used between close friends to call each other. Grammatically, this is the polite but still friendly expression for ‘elder brother’ in Japanese. And actually, it is. In Japan, younger siblings call their elder brothers with showing their respect and friendliness.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.