General
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 女の子 | おんなのこ | GIrl; Female Child; Baby Girl 女 (woman) のこ (child). |
| 男の子 | おとこのこ | Boy; Male Child; Baby Boy 男 (man) のこ (child) |
| 女 | おんな | Woman |
| 男 | おとこ | Man |
| 大人 | おとな | Adult 大 (big) 人 (person) |
| 子供 | こども | Child 子 (Child) 供 (Accompany) |
| はたち | 20 years old; Young Adult | |
| 人 | ひと | Person |
People Descriptors
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ともだち | Friend | |
| 〜さん | (honorific) Mr / Ms … Used as a default / respectful honorific | |
| 〜じん | … people (i.e., the people of a nation) | |
| 〜ねんせい | … year student | |
| 〜ちゃん | (honorific) Little … Frequently for girls and small children, close friends or lovers. Expresses one finds the person endearing Can also be used towards cute things. Can also be used to describe oneself (in a childlike manner.) | |
| 〜くん | (honorific) Semi-formal title for a male junior or a young man. Can also be used for males in general. While typically used for men, it can also be used for women (in which case it is more respectful than 〜ちゃん (chan) while still implying endearment). | |
| 〜と | Together (with a person) |
People Counts
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| おおぜい | Crowd (of people); Many people | |
| 一人 | ひとり | One person 一 (one) 人 (person) |
| 一人で | ひとりで | Alone 一 (one) 人 (person) |
| 二人 | ふたり | Two people; Two persons; Pair; Couple 二 (two) 人 (people) |
Family-Related
General
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| かぞく | Family; Members of a family | |
| 家庭 | かてい | Household; Home; Family; Hearth 家 (house) 庭 (garden) |
| きょうだい | Brothers and Sisters / Siblings | |
| 家 | いえ | House; Residence; Dwelling; Lineage; Family name. |
Members
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| いもうと | Younger Sister | |
| 後 | あと | Descendant; Successor; Heir 後 (Behind) |
| あに | Older brother; Eldest brother | |
| お母さん | おかあ（さん） | Mother Note that the “san” is a honorific. 母 (mother) |
| おくさん | (your) Wife; Wife; Married Lady; Madam | |
| おじいさん | Grandfather; Old Male Citizen Note that the “san” is a honorific. | |
| おじさん | Uncle; Old Man; Mister Note that the “san” is a honorific. | |
| お父さん | おとう（さん） | Father Note that the “san” is a honorific. 父 (father) |
| おとうと | Younger Brother | |
| おにい（さん） | Older Brother; Elder brother; Young lad; Mister Note that the “san” is a honorific. | |
| おねえ（さん） | Older Sister; Elder sister; Young lady; Miss Note that the “san” is a honorific | |
| おばあさん | Grandmother; Female senior citizen | |
| おばさん | Aunt; Old lady; Ma’am | |
| ごしゅじん | Your/ Her Husband |
Occupations
People
| Kanji | Hiragana しごと | Meaning Job; Work; Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| いしゃ | Physician; Medical Doctor | |
| おまわりさん | (friendly term for a) Policeman | |
| かいしゃいん | Office worker | |
| 学生 | がくせい | Student (esp. a university student) 学 (study) 生 (life) |
| きょうし | Teacher or Professor A more modest version of せんせい | |
| こうこうせい | Highschool student こうこう (highschool) せい (student) | |
| しゅふ | Housewife | |
| 先生 | せんせい | Teacher or Professor. Honorable Master 先 (ahead) 生 (life) Note that saying わたし は せんせい (I am Sensei) can be seen as arrogant since it is reserved for Honorable Masters |
| せいと | Pupil (student) | |
| だいがくいんせい | Graduate student | |
| だいがくせい | College student | |
| べんごし | Lawyer | |
| りゅうがくせい | International student Note the subword “がくせい” (student) | |
| やおや | Greengrocer |
Work Related Terms
| Kanji | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| アルバイト | Arbeiter (Part Time Job) | |
| めいし | Business card | |
| かいしゃ | Company ; Corporation |