妹
妹 — Younger sister
younger sister
On’yomiマイ (mai)
Kun’yomiいもうと (imouto)
Stroke order (8 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 妹
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 妹 | いもうと imouto | younger sister |
| 姉妹 | しまい shimai | sisters |
| 従姉妹 | いとこ itoko | cousin (female) |
| 弟妹 | ていまい teimai | younger brother and sister |
| 義妹 | ぎまい gimai | sister-in-law (spouse's younger sister or younger brother's wife); younger stepsister; younger adopted sister |
| 実妹 | じつまい jitsumai | biological younger sister |
Study notes
妹 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1446 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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