family terms

UpstateLangFan

I seem to have a real block for family terms. I'm slowly learning them, but it seems to be taking a much longer time than it usually takes me to learn new vocabulary. Is there a trick I should be aware of? (I know a lot of the "other people's..." have san, and I've made side-by-side charts, but there's still some weird block, almost as though my English speaking brain doesn't want to accept these distinctions, ha ha!

Sakura

Hi UpstateLangFan! Thanks for posting the question!

You're right that many expressions that refer to someone else's family members have さんsan in the end. (e.g. いもうとさんimootosan (younger sister, someone else's), おとうとさんotootosan (younger brother, someone else's)) 

Unfortunately, as you know, that's not always the case. However, there is another pattern you may have observed. That is, by putting ごgo at the beginning of some of the expressions that refer to your own family members, you can create the corresponding expressions that refer to someone else's. For example, きょうだいkyoodai (siblings, one's own) & ごきょうだいgokyoodai (siblings, someone else's), しゅじんshujin (husband, one's own) & ごしゅじんgoshujin (husband, someone else's), かぞくkazoku (family, one's own) & ごかぞくgokazoku (family, someone else's). 

So those are the two patterns that you can observe, and that may make your memorizing task a bit easier. If you decide to make a vocabulary chart on your own, you may want to try arranging the terms so that you can see all the expressions containing さんsan in one block all together, and then all the expressions containing ごgo in another block all together. This way of organizing the vocabulary may facilitate your memorizing process. Give it a try!

Taking an eTutor session is another way to really master the vocabulary. During the eTutor session, I will force you to use all these words! (^-^) You are welcome to have your chart at hand if you're not confident, but after using the vocabulary repeatedly in our dialogues your memory will be reinforced, I guarantee!

  

UpstateLangFan

Thanks! Those are great suggestions. And I've enrolled in a tutoring session, so hopefully I'll be able to remember all of those terms. Arigato!

Sakura

Great. I'm looking forward to talking to you soon! (^-^) And remember, you can repeat the same session as many times as you want, until you feel comfortable! 

UpstateLangFan

Wow... that was quite a work out! But really great. Arigato, sensee san! I feel much more comfortable with the family terms, and also the constructions with desu, de wa arimasen, ga imasu, wa imasen, wa imasu ka... That was a great way to practice! 

So, now it's on to Essential Lesson 3.

Sakura

Fantastic! You did REALLY well. I know it was quite a workout but I'm happy to know that you feel much more comfortable with the family terms and various kinds of sentences now. Keep up the good work! (^o^)/

fmp0011

Just a quick question on the family topic.  I've noticed in a lot of anime and other Japanese media that the terms for someone else's particular family member is often used for own's family.  Oniisan is often used as my brother and not someone else's brother.  I have noticed that when it is used like that, that the person speaking is usually speaking to that particular person. Is that usually the case or am I missing something?

Sakura

Hi there! Thanks for the really great question. 

You're right about your observation. For example, 母(ははhaha) is used when you're talking about your mother, and NOT when you're talking to your mother. In Japanese, when you're talking to the person, as you pointed out, you can basically use the terms referring to "someone else's". 

You may say, "Well, that's weird!". So here's the reason why: 

In fact, the terms that we call "someone else's" are, precisely speaking, "terms that show the speaker's respect". In Japanese, we have honorific forms, humble forms, and polite forms, which you will learn a bit later, but family terms for someone else's correspond to honorific forms, and family terms for one's own correspond to humble forms. When you talk about someone else's family members, you want to show your respect to to them. On the other hand, when you talk about your own family, you want to be humble. However, when you are speaking to your own family members, for example, when you are speaking to your mother, now you want to show your respect to her, so you use the honorific form to her.

Does that make sense? I hope this helps!! (^-^)/

fmp0011

That makes perfect sense. Arigatoo gozaimasu Sakura san. That really helps out a lot.

Sakura

Fantastic!! Again, thanks for bringing up this topic. That was a GREAT question. 

Sakura

During eTutor sessions, a few students asked me how to say "niece" and "nephew" in Japanese. I thought it would be useful to share them here with everyone (^-^)

姪 （めい mei） - niece, one's own

姪子さん （めいごさん meigosan) - niece, someone else's

甥（おい oi）- nephew, one's own

甥子さん （おいごさん oigosan）- nephew, someone else's