Onee-chan

Submission 64,662

Part of a series on Onii-chan. [View Related Entries]

About

“Onee-Chan” is a Japanese word for “older sister" commonly used by men and women to address women who are slightly older, often regardless of their blood relations. Online, the honorific label has garnered traction among non-Japanese Otakus as a term of endearment for attractive female characters in anime and manga series.

Origin

The earliest Urban Dictionary^[1] submission for the term “onee-chan” was submitted by user Makayo onJuly 10th, 2006, defining it as “the Japanese word for ‘older sister’.”

Spread

On August 10th, 2016, YouTuber Illyasviel von Einzbern uploaded a clip from the anime Fate, in which a young woman calls the older woman “Onee-chan” (shown below, left). On January 27th, 2016, YouTuber Makoto Amakawa uploaded a video clip from the animeMusaigen no Phantom World, where a young woman calls her friend “onee-chan” to (shown below, right).

On Aug 16, 2012, YouTuber Makoto Amakawa uploaded a video titled “Yuru Yuri – Akane, the ulimate siscon,” featuring a the a sister obsessed character Akane from the Japanese manga franchise Yuru Yuri. On Dec 19, 2014, Youtuber Stephen Katz posted a video of a young girl getting called Oneechan by a kid from the anime Noucome.

On March 17th, 2015, an ifunny^[2] user waking1 posted a picture of Kill la Kill sisters, titled “Onee-chan”. >