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道Nihongo Path
甥

甥·nephew

On-yomi
セイ
Kun-yomi
おい

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

12 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
甥おいnephew
甥っ子おいっこnephew (affectionate)
甥姪おいめいnephews and nieces

Example sentences

  1. 甥が今年小学校に入った。

    おいがことししょうがっこうにはいった。

    My nephew started primary school this year.

  2. 甥っ子におもちゃを買ってあげた。

    おいっこにおもちゃをかってあげた。

    I bought my little nephew a toy.

  3. 姉に子どもが生まれ、私にも甥ができた。

    あねにこどもがうまれ、わたしにもおいができた。

    My sister had a baby, so now I have a nephew too.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up 甥 (nephew) and 姪 (niece)
  • The on-reading セイ is almost never used; in normal Japanese 甥 is おい

Memory aid

Picture it

生 'be born' next to 男 'male': a boy born on your brother's or sister's side of the family.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 甥 mean?