兄ちゃん

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
兄
にい Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Of 兄 (nii, “older brother”) +‎ ちゃん (-chan), a childish variant of the honorific -さん.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iːt͡ɕã̠ɴ]

Noun

兄(にい)ちゃん • (nī-chan) 

1. (familiar, term of address) (one's own) elder brother

   ねぇ、兄(にい)ちゃん、聞(き)いて

   nē, nīchan, kīte

   oh, bubby, listen to me

2. (familiar or informal) boy; lad; chap
   • 1991 March 15, Rumiko Takahashi, “ＰＡＲＴ(パート).10(じゅう)　そして拳(けん)印(いん)は消(き)えた [Part 10: The Mark’s Finally Gone]”, in らんま½ (らんま½) [Ranma ½], volume 14 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 162:

     よっ　ええぞ　にいちゃん。

     Yo' ē zo nī-chan.

     Woo, you damn fine, boy.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
兄
あに > あん Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Of 兄 (ani, “older brother”) +‎ ちゃん (-chan), with sound shift from ani to an.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あ​んちゃん [áꜜǹchàǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ã̠ɲ̟t͡ɕã̠ɴ]

Noun

兄(あん)ちゃん • (anchan) 

1. (familiar, informal, term of address) (one's own) older brother
2. (familiar, informal) a young man, boy, lad

   近所(きんじょ)の兄(あん)ちゃん

   kinjo no anchan

   young fellow from the neighborhood

3. (informal) a playboy, a libertine young man
4. (regional, Chita peninsula, Aichi Prefecture) son; eldest son
5. (regional, Sado island, Niigata Prefecture) (one's own) husband

See also

• お兄(にい)さん (onī-san)
• 姉(ねえ)ちゃん (nē-chan)
• 叔(お)父(じ)ちゃん (oji-chan)