LLearn Japanese

In Japan, what is the style of language that siblings use with each other?

I am doing an exercise from a textbook and the book asks me what is the style of speech they are using and it’s the Masu form. One is an American guy and the other is a friend from Japan that’s also described as (姉) So they’re probably not real siblings but if the second person is the elder then should they use Masu form? I was under the impression they might use casual speech since they know each other so I don’t get this.

8 comments

  1. Immediate family members would likely use plain forms, even with older family members.

    In a host family situation, masu form might be used, but it would really depend.

  2. My younger sister’s never used masu form to me. Also my younger sister’s friends.

    Also I’ve never used masu form to my older cousins…

  3. It’s good that Teineigo (丁寧語), basically polite speech, is what is taught to foreign learners but in reality it doesn’t take too much for people to get pretty informal with each other.

  5. Siblings use だ・である

    Nuclear family members almost universally use だ•である even from child to parent.

  7. Casual form but language is a fluid thing so natural language is a mix. E.g. to text someone you’re on your way you generally say mukattemasu as saying mukatteiru would be a bit unnatural.

    It’s good to learn polite language as a base but it’s not a binary polite vs casual rule set as everyday conversation uses the whole range depending on situation topic and intent. Polite language pops in for set phrases etc and keigo can be used for both humour and passive aggressiveness depending on context.

    This quickly becomes an advanced topic as it gets into the typical minefield second language learners come across where what they say is either technically correct but
    a) a native speaker wouldn’t express it that way so it becomes stiff, unnatural, funny or sometimes even offensive.

  8. Please take everything you learn from a textbook regarding every day conversations with a pinch of salt as chances are they’re not representative of real world conversations

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