What does the different of...
Aniki=elder brother
Aniki=head of yakuza
I thought aniki mean older brother...but recently i watched Japanese drama they address head of yakuza as aniki as well...which one are the proper way of calling your older brother..is it... Aniki or onii-chan...
I'm trying to learn Japanese language bit by bit here......
2007-03-27 11:43:40 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
You are correct that both aniki and onii-san (or onii-chan) mean older brother, and that aniki is used both within a family and within a yakuza group. Here are the subtleties:
Onii-san is the normal polite way to refer to one's own older brother. Onii-chan is similar, but a bit more casual. Both can be used by a younger brother or a younger sister.
Aniki is used to refer to one's own older brother too, but it is only used by a younger brother (not a younger sister). Compared to onii-san, aniki is not impolite by any means, but it does have a certain "rougher" connotation. Depending on the family, it may or may not be appropriate to use aniki at the family dinner table. But if the brothers were out of the house together, aniki would be common.
Aniki is also used by a yakuza to refer to one's own senior yakuza. As lakelover mentioned, a yakuza group is considered to be family, and this is why aniki is used. I would add that aniki is typically used by a junior yakuza to refer to a yakuza who is one level his senior, usually his direct boss or group leader. It's hard to think of a scenario where a junior yakuza would need to speak by name to a yakuza who is more than one level his senior, but in the rare case, possibly something like oyaji-san could be used. Like aniki is to onii-san, oyaji-san is a polite but rougher way to say father (instead of the normal otoo-san).
Good luck on your Japanese studies! By the way, an outstanding yakuza movie that exemplies the use of aniki is "Brother" by Beat Takeshi.
2007-03-27 21:22:21 · answer #1 · answered by TD1 1 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Aniki does mean older brother and is also used for the leader of a yakuza. A yakuza is considered a family and the head is called aniki
2007-03-27 11:59:57 · answer #2 · answered by lakelover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yakuza Aniki
2016-12-12 12:22:49 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I checked a Japanese/English dictionary. It means older brother or superior. Found a couple sites to confirm.
2007-03-27 11:57:23 · answer #4 · answered by dumenuff 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋