弟（おとうと、otouと）
- younger brother

The word 弟 (弟) means "younger brother". It refers to a male sibling who is younger than oneself. This word is used to describe the relationship between siblings, specifically a younger brother.

⚫︎私には弟が二人います。 Translation: I have two younger brothers. ⚫︎弟はいつも元気です。 Translation: My younger brother is always energetic. ⚫︎兄と弟は喧嘩ばかりしています。 Translation: My older brother and younger brother always fight.

⚫︎You use 弟 (弟) when you are speaking about or referring to your younger brother. ⚫︎It's used in conversations, writing, and any context where you need to specify a younger brother. ⚫︎When speaking to or about someone else's younger brother, you would use honorifics (see Notation).

⚫︎The word 弟 (弟) is typically written using the kanji 弟. ⚫︎The reading is おとうと in hiragana. ⚫︎To make it honorific when referring to someone else's younger brother, you would use 弟さん (otouto-san). This adds the polite suffix "-san". ⚫︎There are no variations in the okurigana for this word.

There are no direct synonyms for "younger brother" in the same way. The meaning is very specific. However, it can be expressed in different ways, depending on the context.

The antonym of 弟 (弟) is 兄 (ani), which means "older brother".

私の弟はとても背が高いです。 ・Translation: My younger brother is very tall. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the physical characteristic of the speaker's younger brother.

弟は今、大学に通っています。 ・Translation: My younger brother is currently attending university. ・Explanation: This sentence provides information about the activities of the speaker's younger brother.

The kanji 弟 is composed of two parts: the top component, which resembles a bow; and the bottom component, which means "younger". The kanji itself originally depicted a person wearing a sash, thus representing someone younger and of lower status in earlier times. The meaning evolved to specifically mean younger brother. The reading おとうと is the Japanese word, which is the phonetic representation of this concept.