Japanese word

親類

Pronunciation

Romajishinrui

Meaning

  • nounrelative

Example

私は親類に手紙を書きます。watashi wa shin rui ni te gami o ka ki ma su

I write a letter to a relative.

Illustration for 親類 (relative)

More examples

久しぶりに親類を訪ねて、昔の話をしました。hisa shi bu ri ni shin rui o tazu ne te mukashi no hanashi o shi ma shi ta

I visited a relative for the first time in a long while and talked about the old days.

Core concept

Describes a person connected to someone else through family ties, including extended family and ties formed by marriage.

Common phrases

  • 親類を訪ねるshin rui o tazu ne ru

    visit a relative

  • 親類からの便りshin rui ka ra no tayo ri

    news from a relative

Similar words

親戚shinseki: A person related by family ties, commonly used in ordinary conversation.
親族shinzoku: A person related by blood or marriage, often used in formal contexts.

Definition in Japanese

血縁や婚姻によってつながりのある人。ketsu en ya kon in ni yo tte tsu na ga ri no a ru hito

Word origin

The word 親類 (shinrui) combines 親 (shin, "parent or close relation") and 類 (rui, "kind or group"), forming a term for people in the same family network.

Usage tips

  • 親類 (shinrui) has a more formal or literary tone than the everyday term 親戚 (shinseki), so it appears often in written language.

Word lists with this word