Japanese · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "姉" in Japanese?

Q: How do you pronounce 姉 in Japanese?

姉 is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /a.ne/. It means “older sister.” a-ne, two short beats — and the final vowel is a flat "eh," never "nay."

a-ne, two short beats — and the final vowel is a flat "eh," never "nay."

姉 /a.ne/

ane

The crest is on the first unit, and both are cut to the same length. Its minimal-pair relationship with 兄 means the second vowel carries the whole distinction, so it needs to be clearly e and clearly short, with no drift toward the i of its sibling word.

Listen: 姉

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Sound it out

a A short bright open vowel taking a complete beat, with no glottal catch in front of it.

ne An n at the teeth-ridge — not palatalised, unlike the ni of 兄 — then a short front e that holds one position throughout.

Hear it in a sentence

姉が一人います。

Ane ga hitori imasu.

I have one older sister.

Listen: 姉が一人います。

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姉が一人います uses 一人 (hi-to-ri), three morae with a palatal h that often devoices. So after two clearly-voiced beats, the sentence immediately asks for a whispered one — and then います adds four more with a nasal at the end.

Where English speakers slip

"AH-nay" gives the first beat English stress and turns the second into a diphthong. Freeze the tongue during the e so it can't travel upward, and keep both beats short. Learners who diphthongise this vowel end up somewhere between 姉 and 兄 and leave the listener guessing.