Talking about siblings.

jwongch

jwongch

Hi I was wondering if anyone can help me. I came across these words and I'm not sure what they mean. Does this mean I have 1 brother older than me? Or does it mean he is 1 year older than me? 兄は僕より一つ上 Same with this one here...I'm not too sure if it means 3 younger sisters or a younger sister thats younger than me by 3 years. 妹は僕より三つ下
2679

2679

Not sure if the sentence is quite correct, but if it is, then it definitely states that your brother is 1 year older than you. (counters such as: "一つ, 二つ、三つ..." are only used for objects). Same goes for the the second sentence. Your sister is 3 years younger than you are.
risa-rocket-japanese-tutor

risa-rocket-japanese-tutor

Hello Jackyさん、 As コッドさん explained: 兄は僕より一つ上 means my brother is one year older but we would normally say: 兄は僕より一歳年上です。 歳=さい (Counter for age) 年上=としうえ (Phrase for older in age) Same for the 2nd example: 妹は僕より三歳年下です。 年下=としした (Phrase for younger in age)

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