L46. Day 46 — 妹

Days 41-50

R-report

[Day 46] 妹 - younger sister

The character 妹 originally combines the 女 (woman) radical with the phonetic element 未; it refers to a younger female sibling and is used in everyday family vocabulary, introductions, and relation descriptions. You’ll see it when talking about siblings, family members, or figurative relationships (like someone treated as a ‘little sister’). Readings: On'yomi and Kun'yomi are used differently — the Kun'yomi (native reading) is the common standalone reading for family members, while the On'yomi appears in some compounds. Mnemonic tip: remember 女 (woman) on the left + 未 (phonetic) on the right — imagine a small girl next to the woman radical to cue “younger sister.”

Readings

On'yomi: **マイ** (mai) Kun'yomi: **いもうと** (imōto)

Related words

• 妹（いもうと / imōto） — younger sister. - 私の**妹**は音楽が好きです。 (Watashi no imōto wa ongaku ga suki desu. / My younger sister likes music.)

• 妹さん（いもうとさん / imōto‑san） — younger sister (polite / addressing someone else’s sister). - それはあなたの**妹さん**ですか。 (Sore wa anata no imōto‑san desu ka? / Is that your younger sister?)

• 姉妹（しまい / shimai） — sisters (plural, siblings). - 彼女たちは三人の**姉妹**です。 (Kanojotachi wa sannin no shimai desu. / They are three sisters.)

• 妹分（いもうとぶん / imōtobun） — a figurative ‘little sister’ (someone treated like a younger sister). - 彼は彼女を**妹分**のように世話している。 (Kare wa kanojo o imōtobun no yō ni sewa shite iru. / He treats her like a little sister.)

• 義妹（ぎまい / gimai） — sister‑in‑law (younger sister by marriage or spouse’s younger sister). - 私の**義妹**は看護師です。 (Watashi no gimai wa kangoshi desu. / My sister‑in‑law is a nurse.)