義兄弟(ぎきょうだい)

ぎきょうだい
noun
brothers-in-law; stepbrothers; sworn brothers
family
1. brothers-in-law; stepbrothers
Brothers related by marriage (a spouse's brother or a sibling's husband) or by a parent's remarriage, rather than by blood.
彼(かれ)は私(わたし)の義兄弟(ぎきょうだい)です。
He is my brother-in-law.
母(はは)の再婚(さいこん)で、義兄弟(ぎきょうだい)ができた。
I got a stepbrother through my mother's remarriage.
義兄弟(ぎきょうだい)とはいえ、実(じつ)の兄弟(きょうだい)のように仲(なか)が良(よ)い。
Even though they are stepbrothers, they get along as if they were real siblings.
2. sworn brothers; blood brothers
Men who have formed a bond of brotherhood through an oath or ceremony, though not biologically related. A concept common in historical and fictional contexts.
二人(ふたり)は義兄弟(ぎきょうだい)の契(ちぎ)りを結(むす)んだ。
The two swore an oath of brotherhood.
三国志(さんごくし)では、劉備(りゅうび)・関羽(かんう)・張飛(ちょうひ)が義兄弟(ぎきょうだい)となった場面(ばめん)が有名(ゆうめい)だ。
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the scene where Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei became sworn brothers is famous.
彼(かれ)らは義兄弟(ぎきょうだい)として生涯(しょうがい)助(たす)け合(あ)うことを誓(ちか)った。
They pledged as sworn brothers to help each other for life.

Usage

義兄弟(ぎきょうだい) covers several types of non-blood brotherhood. In modern usage, it most commonly refers to brothers-in-law or stepbrothers. In historical and literary contexts, it refers to sworn brotherhood.

Related words

Etymology

The prefix 義(ぎ) marks family relationships formed through marriage or legal arrangement rather than by blood: 義父(ぎふ) (father-in-law), 義母(ぎぼ) (mother-in-law), 義理(ぎり)の息子(むすこ) (son-in-law).

Related Words

Related: 義弟(ぎてい) (brother-in-law, younger)
general
Added 2026.3.6 17:54 · Revised 2026.10.17 10:34
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