This site will be taken down March 31st, 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make. For the last couple years, I have been struggling to find motivation for this site and to keep up with basic maintenance and security updates. With the rise of AI and more sophisticated tools, the usefulness of sites like this is questionable and traffic has nose-dived. I just don't have it in me to keep doing this. Thank you all for 10 years of support!

Zach

Readings

Kana: シ、あね、はは
Romaji: shi, ane, haha
Kana
Romaji

Meaning

elder sister

Stroke Diagram

12345678

Kanji Info

Stroke Count:  8
Radical Number:  38
Frequency:  1473
Grade:  2
Skip Pattern:  1-3-5
Korean Reading:  ja
Chinese Reading:  zi3
Unicode:  59c9
JIS:  3B50

Indexes

Halpern Index: 280
Nelson Index: 1207
New Nelson Index: 1201
Spahn Hadamitzky Index: 3e5.8
Four Corner Index: 4042.7
Guide to Remembering Index: 498
Gakken Index: 1329
Japanese Names Index: 847
Daikanwanjiten Index: 6165
Daikanwanjiten Index and Page: 3.0661
Remembering the kanji Index: 413
Busy People Index: 3.15
Kanji Flashcards Index: 154
Kodansha Compact Index: 438
Read Writing Kanji Third Index: 146
Kanji in Context Index: 77
1999 Kanji Learners Index: 210
2013 Kanji Learners Index: 253
French Remembering the Kanji Index: 420
Remembering the Kanji 6th Index: 442
Essential Kanji Index: 120
Kodansha Kanji Index: 336
Roo 2001 Kanji Index: 1744
Read Writing the Kanji Index: 413
Tuttle Kanji Cards Index: 159

Words

(あね)
older sister; elder sister
(ねえ)
used after the name of someone who is an older sister figure; used with various honorifics to mean (older) sister
姉さん (ねえさん、あねさん)
elder sister; (vocative) young lady; miss (referring to a waitress, etc.); ma'am (used by geisha to refer to their superiors)
従姉 (じゅうし、いとこ)
cousin (elder female)
義姉 (ぎし、あね)
sister-in-law (elder); stepsister (elder)
()
honorific suffix used after the name of a woman of equal or higher status
姉妹 (しまい、きょうだい)
sisters
従姉妹 (いとこ、じゅうしまい)
cousin (female)
実姉 (じっし)
biological elder sister; real elder sister
姉ちゃん (ねえちゃん)
elder sister; girl
Find More