兄弟
きょうだい
noun
siblings (brothers and sisters); brothers (male siblings only)
See also:
鏡台 (dressing table)
1.
siblings, brothers and sisters
A general term for siblings, which can include both brothers and sisters.
Usage
兄弟 is written with the kanji for 'older brother' and 'younger brother,' but in modern usage it normally means siblings in general, regardless of gender. Sense 2 (male siblings only) is clear from context — for example when the number of brothers is contrasted with the number of sisters. For sisters specifically, use 姉妹.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS (asking about siblings):
- 兄弟は何人いますか (How many siblings do you have?)
- ご兄弟は？ - the honorific prefix ご is normal when asking about another person's family, and is left off when talking about your own.
Watch out
Two similar-looking patterns count differently:
- 兄弟が三人います = 'I have three siblings' (three besides yourself, four children in all).
- 三人兄弟です = 'we are three siblings' (three children in all, yourself included).
The compound form 三人兄弟 describes the size of the sibling group, so it counts the speaker as well.
Compounds
兄弟げんか (sibling quarrel) - note the rendaku: 喧嘩 becomes げんか in this compound, and it is usually written in kana.
Related words
兄 (older brother), 弟 (younger brother), 姉 (older sister), 妹 (younger sister), 一人っ子 (only child).