Here are Japanese words for family to start with: 兄 (ani, brother), 娘 (musume, daughter), 父 (chichi, father), 祖父 (sofu, grandfather). Below are 40 words (A1–C2) with their English translations, part of speech and a romanization to help you say them, across 5 themed lists.
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| brother | 兄ani | noun | A1 |
| daughter | 娘musume | noun | A1 |
| father | 父chichi | noun | A1 |
| grandfather | 祖父sofu | noun | A1 |
| grandmother | 祖母sobo | noun | A1 |
| mother | 母haha | noun | A1 |
| sister | 妹imouto | noun | A1 |
| son | 息子musuko | noun | A1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| aunt | おばoba | noun | A1 |
| child | 子供kodomo | noun | A1 |
| cousin | いとこitoko | noun | A1 |
| husband | 夫otto | noun | A1 |
| parent | 親oya | noun | A1 |
| uncle | おじoji | noun | A1 |
| wife | 妻tsuma | noun | A1 |
| in-law | 義理の家族giri no kazoku | noun | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ancestor | 祖先sosen | noun | A2 |
| generation | 世代sedai | noun | A2 |
| sibling | 兄弟姉妹kyoudaishimai | noun | B1 |
| heritage | ルーツruutsu | noun | B2 |
| spouse | 配偶者haiguusha | noun | B2 |
| lineage | 家系kakei | noun | C1 |
| genealogy | 系譜keifu | noun | C2 |
| progeny | 子孫shison | noun | C2 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| birth | 誕生tanjou | noun | A1 |
| childhood | 子供時代kodomojidai | noun | A2 |
| death | 死shi | noun | A2 |
| adulthood | 成人期seijinki | noun | B1 |
| parenthood | 親になることoya ni naru koto | noun | B1 |
| divorce | 離婚rikon | noun | B2 |
| relocation | 引っ越しhikkoshi | noun | B2 |
| retirement | 退職taishoku | noun | B2 |
Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0
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These lists show a sample of the A1–C2 words for family. The packs in Watch Your Language hold more and reach the advanced levels, along with every other topic.
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You could start with words like 兄 (ani, brother), 娘 (musume, daughter), 父 (chichi, father), 祖父 (sofu, grandfather). This page lists 40 Japanese words for family (A1–C2), each with its English translation and part of speech.
Reading a list once is rarely enough. Watch Your Language shows Japanese words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and schedules repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.
Yes. The lists on this page are free to read, with no sign-up. The app holds more words for each topic.
Social Roles
B1–B2More from this pack waits in the app