Translation and Meaning of: 姪 - mei

The Japanese word 「姪」 (mei) is used to refer to a niece. In the Japanese language, many family-related words are written in kanji, and this is an example that reflects the family relationship. The kanji 「姪」 is composed of two main elements: 「女」 and 「未」. The radical 「女」 is one of the oldest kanjis and is related to women or femininity, while 「未」 denotes something unfinished or young. Therefore, when combined, they form a concept that can be interpreted as "young woman" — a niece, in the family context.

The use of the word 「姪」 is not only limited to Japan; the culture of family words is common in various cultures where Japanese is spoken. This word is deeply rooted in the way Japanese families interact, acknowledging and taking into account specific relationships within the family circle. This is part of a long tradition that values and respects personal relationships and family ties, with specific words being a linguistic manifestation of this value.

Additionally, the word 「姪」 (mei) has no complex variations in its daily use, maintaining its direct and simple meaning. An interesting aspect is that this simplicity of the term reflects how important and natural it is to identify specific family ties in everyday language. It also shows how Japanese can use detailed and meaningful characters to describe social and family concepts distinctly, while preserving the associated sense and culture.

Vocabulary

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Synonyms and similar words

• 甥女 (おいこ) - Niece.
• めい - Niece (usually used to refer to the daughters of brothers or sisters).

姪

Romaji: mei
Kana: めい
Type: noun
L: jlpt-n2

Translation / Meaning: niece

Meaning in English: niece

Definition: Niece of my uncle and my aunt.

Example Sentences - (姪) mei

See below some example sentences:

私の姪はとても可愛いです。

Watashi no mei wa totemo kawaii desu

My niece is very cute.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• の (no) - particle that indicates possession, in this case, "mine"
• 姪 (mei) - noun that means "niece"
• は (wa) - particle that indicates the topic of the sentence, in this case, "niece"
• とても (totemo) - adverb meaning "very"
• 可愛い (kawaii) - adjective that means "cute" or "pretty"
• です (desu) - linking verb that indicates the formality of the sentence