History UsefulNotes / JapaneseSiblingTerminology

It should be noted that incest was practiced in ancient Japan. Therefore, words for "brother" and "husband", as well as words for "sister" and wife", were interchangeable oftentimes. The word ''se'' could be spelt as 兄 ("elder brother") or 夫 ("husband"), or for some odd reason, 背 ("back"). ''Imose'' (妹背 or 妹兄) mean either "wife and husband" or "sister and brother".

It should be noted that incest was practiced in ancient Japan. Therefore, words for "brother" and "husband", as well as words for "sister" and wife", were interchangeable oftentimes. The word ''se'' could be spelt as 兄 ("brother") or 夫 ("husband"), or for some odd reason, 背 ("back"). ''Imose'' (妹背 or 妹兄) mean either "wife and husband" or "sister and brother".

It should be noted that incest was practiced in ancient Japan. Therefore, words for "brother" and "husband", as well as words for "sister" and wife", were interchangeable oftentimes. The word ''se'' could be spelt as 兄 ("brother") or 夫 ("husband").

This ancient system collapsed into the four-word system we know today, where there's no restriction on terms used by brothers among themselves as opposed to about their sisters, and vice versa. (A similar system with such restriction is still in use by the Koreans.) ''Oto'' and ''imo'' compounded with ''hito'' (人 "person") to form ''otōto'' (originally, "younger sibling") and ''imōto'' (originally, "sister"). Historically there was also ''shōto'' (or ''seuto''), used by females for their brothers.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh''

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''

* The archaic formal term for "brother" listed above, ''aniue'', is familiar to any ''Anime/MaiHime'' fan. Mikoto uses this term for her long-lost brother (she doesn't know his name).

** The dub also had to really wrack its brains when Tenchi's long-lost sister reveals herself and at one point goes on about all the various sibling terms she'll finally get to be called. The dub mostly keeps up when coming up with variations, and makes some of the dialogue refer to finally getting to have a brother-sister ''relationship'' with him. Maybe "sissy-poo" is a ''bit'' of a stretch when it comes to alternate terms, but... they did a pretty good job translating the most .

* ''Manga/{{Citrus}}''

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''

* ''anigo'' is the male equivalent of ''anego''. There are also ''otōtogo'' and ''imōtogo'', but these are only used to refer to someone else's sibling in the third person, not as a term of address.

This ancient system collapsed into the four-word system we know nowadays, where there's no restriction on terms used by brothers among themselves as opposed to about their sisters, and vice versa. ''Oto'' and ''imo'' compounded with ''hito'' (人 "person") to form ''otōto'' (originally, "younger sibling") and ''imōto'' (originally, "sister"). Historically there was also ''shōto'' (or ''seuto''), used by females for their brothers.

* ''anigo'' is the male equivalent of ''anego''. There are also ''otōgo'' and ''imōgo'', but these are only used to refer to someone else's sibling in the third person, not as a term of address.

According to the ''Kojiki'', the goddess Amaterasu referred to her younger brother Susanoo as ''a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', which Chamberlain translated (for technical reasons, as literally as possible) as "His Augustness my elder brother" while adding a footnote that says she was still the elder sister. Izanagi addressed to his recently dead sister and wife, appropriately, as ''utsukushiki a ga nan'''imo''' no mikoto'', or "Thine Augustness my lovely younger sister" in Chamberlain's translation; while Izanami, in Yomi, addressed her brother and husband, as ''utsukushiki a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', or "Thine Augustness my lovely elder brother".

According to the ''Kojiki'', the goddess Amaterasu referred to her younger brother as Susanoo ''a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', which Chamberlain translated (for technical reasons, as literally as possible) as "His Augustness my elder brother" while adding a footnote that says she was still the elder sister. Izanagi addressed to his recently dead sister and wife, appropriately, as ''utsukushiki a ga nan'''imo''' no mikoto'', or "Thine Augustness my lovely younger sister" in Chamberlain's translation; while Izanami, in Yomi, addressed her brother and husband, as ''utsukushiki a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', or "Thine Augustness my lovely elder brother".

According to the ''Kojiki'', the goddess Amaterasu referred to her younger brother Susanoo ''a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', which Chamberlain translated (for technical reasons, as literally as possible) as "His Augustness my elder brother" while adding a footnote that says she was still the elder sister. Izanagi addressed to his recently dead sister and wife, appropriately, as ''utsukushiki a ga nan'''imo''' no mikoto'', or "Thine Augustness my lovely younger sister" in Chamberlain's translation; while Izanami, in Yomi, addressed her brother and husband, as ''utsukushiki a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', or "Thine Augustness my lovely elder brother".

According to the ''Kojiki'', the goddess Amaterasu referred to her younger brother Susanoo ''a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', which Chamberlain translated (for technical reasons, as literally as possible) as "His Augustness my elder brother" while adding a footnote that says she was still the elder sister. Izanagi addressed to his recently dead sister and wife, appropriately, as ''utsukushiki a ga nan'''imo''''', or "Thine Augustness my lovely younger sister" in Chamberlain's translation; while Izanami, in Yomi, addressed her brother and husband, as ''utsukushiki a ga na'''se''''', or "Thine Augustness my lovely elder brother".

According to the ''Kojiki'', the goddess Amaterasu referred to her younger brother Susanoo ''a ga na'''se''' no mikoto'', which Chamberlain translated (for technical reasons, as literally as possible) as "His Augustness my elder brother" while adding a footnote that says she was still the elder sister. Izanagi addressed to his recently dead sister and wife, appropriately, as ''utsukushiki a ga nan'''imo''', or "Thine Augustness my lovely younger sister" in Chamberlain's translation; while Izanami, in Yomi, addressed her brother and husband, as ''utsukushiki a ga na'''se''''', or "Thine Augustness my lovely elder brother".

According to the ''Kojiki'', the goddess Amaterasu called her younger brother Susanoo ''a ga na'''se''''', which Chamberlain translated (for technical reasons, as literally as possible) as "my elder brother" while adding a footnote that says she was still the elder sister.

According to the ''Kojiki'', the goddess Amaterasu called her younger brother Susanoo ''wa ga na'''se''''', which Chamberlain translated (for technical reasons, as literally as possible) as "my elder brother" while adding a footnote that says she was still the elder sister.

* If you were female, your brother was your ''se'', and your younger sister was your ''oto''.

* ''anigo'' is the male equivalent of ''anego''. There's also ''otōgo'' and ''imōgo'', but these are only used to refer to someone else's sibling in the third person, not as a term of address.

* ''anigo'' is the male equivalent of ''anego''. There's also ''otōgo'' and ''imōgo'', but these are only used to refer to someone else's sibling in question in the the third person, not as a term of address.

* ''anigo'' is the male equivalent of ''anego''. There's also ''otōgo'' and ''imōgo'', but these are only used to refer to the sibling in question in the the third person, not as a term of address.

This ancient system collapsed into the four-word system we know nowadays, where there's no restriction on terms used by brothers among themselves as opposed to about their sisters, and vice versa.

This ancient system collapsed into the four-word system we know nowadays, where there's no restriction on terms used by brothers about their sisters and vice versa.

* If you were male, your older brother was your ''se'' or ''ani'', your younger brother was your ''oto''; your older sister was your ''ane'', and your younger sister was your ''imo''.

* If you were male, your older brother was your ''se'' or ''ani'', your younger brother was your ''oto''; your older syster was your ''ane'', and your younger sister was your ''imo''.

According to Japanologist Basil Hall Chamberlain, the four-word system might have settled due to influence of China. Ancient Japan had a more complicated system. To paraphrase Chamberlain who cited feudal scholar Motoori Norinaga on this system:

* Chamo in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' addresses Negi as "aniki"; given the ermine's personality and habits, it's almost certainly intended as the gang slang as much as the literal meaning.

* ''LightNovel/BokuWaTomodachiGaSukunai'' uses this a lot, even though there are only two cases of actual sibling relations. [[ElegantGothicLolita Kobato]] refers to her older brother, [[MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold Kodaka]], as "an-chan" [[AccentRelapse whenever she lapses into her native Kyushu accent]]. Kodaka is also addressed as "aniki" by [[DudeLooksLikeALady Yukimura]] (deliberately as a gang leader reference, because Yukimura believes Kodaka to be a [[RatedMForManly paragon of masculinity]]) and "onii-chan" By [[CheerfulChild Maria]] and [[NunTooHoly Kate]]. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with Kate and Maria, though -- Kate ''wants'' Maria to do this, but Maria won't have anything of it unless forced to.

* Honoka and Isana from ''Manga/UQHolder'' both call Touta nii-sama, presumably because they have the same last name (there hasn't been anything to suggest that they're actually related to him). Confusingly, Isana calls Honoka "Ojou-sama" (as a reference to [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Konoka and Setsuna]]), despite the fact that they're twin sisters.

** Shion makes the unusual choice to call her older twin sister Mion "onee", with no honorific after it.
* Hisui of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' always refers to her older (twin) sister Kohaku as "nee-san." Always. [[spoiler:If she ever uses another term (for example, "my sister," per the Mirror Moon translation), it's a giant clue that it's not actually Hisui...]]