兄 — “older brother” in Japanese

Grade 2けい, きょう, あに

Radical ⼉ · radical 10 The building block this kanji is filed under

“older brother” in Japanese is 兄, read kei, kyou, ani (けい, きょう, あに). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as お兄さん (older brother).

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What does 兄 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	兄
Meaning	older brother
Readings	けい, きょう, あに
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	お兄さん (older brother)

How to read 兄

兄 is read kei (けい) or kyou (きょう) or ani (あに) depending on the word.

Words with 兄

兄弟
お兄さんolder brother

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Kanji read the same way as 兄

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28