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13. My Family

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家族は日本に住んでいますか
Does your family live in Japan
はい、父も母も日本にいます
Yes, father and mother are in Japan
父は先生です
My father is a teacher
兄もいますか
Is your older brother there too
ええ、います
Yeah, he is
兄は学生です
My older brother is a student
友達もいます
He has friends too
姉もいますか
Is your older sister there too
ええ、姉はここに住んでいます
Yeah, my older sister lives here
父も母も元気です
Father and mother are doing well
いい家族です
What a nice family
私は弟がいます
I have a younger brother
弟はアメリカに住んでいます
My younger brother lives in America
妹は学生です
My younger sister is a student
日本語が好きです
She likes Japanese
家族は元気ですか
Is your family doing well
はい、元気です
Yes, they are well
家族が好きです
I love my family
いい家族です
What a nice family
英語も好きです
I like English too
日本語も好きです
I like Japanese too

Cultural Notes

My family vs. your family: two sets of words

Japanese has separate words for your own family and someone else's family. 父 (chichi) and 母 (haha) refer to your own father and mother, but when talking about someone else's parents you say お父さん (otousan) and お母さん (okaasan). The lesson vocab uses the humble set because you're describing your own family.

Birth order matters

Japanese has specific words for older brother (兄), older sister (姉), younger brother (弟), and younger sister (妹) — there is no generic word for just "brother" or "sister." When Japanese people talk about siblings, the age relationship is always part of the word.

住む means more than an address

住む covers everything from "I live in Japan" (country level) to "I live here" (neighborhood level). Unlike English, which might switch between "live in" and "stay at," 住む works for any place you call home, as long as it is a settled residence rather than a temporary visit.