年子
としご
としご
toshi go
Rikai-chan will tell you that 年子 means the second child born within a year, but by that definition, the second in a set of twins could be called such, right? According to Japanese dictionaries, it means siblings who are separated by about a year, and in actual usage, there's some room to stretch that year out. I was told that my sister is 年子 even though she was born fifteen months after me. The general rule of thumb that I use is if the pregnancy turnover rate is fast enough to elicit raised eyebrows, low whistles, or off-color jokes, you can use 年子.
Usage:
When somebody asks me how old my sister is, I say "年子です。"
If somebody asks me 何人兄弟, I say "兄*と年子の妹がいます。"
* Edited to reflect the wisdom of the comment below
Usage:
When somebody asks me how old my sister is, I say "年子です。"
If somebody asks me 何人兄弟, I say "兄*と年子の妹がいます。"
* Edited to reflect the wisdom of the comment below