Sister in Portuguese: Irmã, Mana and More

You're at a Brazilian friend's family lunch. Someone points across the table and says "essa é a minha irmã." A minute later, a cousin yells "mana, passa o arroz!" Then a woman with a big smile walks in, and your friend whispers, "é a minha cunhada." Three words, one table, and they all sound like they might mean "sister." That's the moment most learners find out that "sister in Portuguese" is not just one word. It's a small family of words, and each one has a job.

Here's the good news. The family is easy to learn once you see how it hangs together. One standard word, "irmã," does most of the work. A few casual cousins, like "mana" and "irmãzinha," add warmth. And a handful of related words, like "meia-irmã" and "cunhada," cover the tricky cases such as half sisters and in-laws. By the end of this guide, you'll know all of them, you'll know how to say them, and you'll know when not to.

Quick Answer: Sister in Portuguese at a Glance

Short on time? Here's the cheat sheet. The standard word is "irmã." Everything else in this table is a variation, a slang term, or a nearby relative.

Cambridge's English-Portuguese dictionary entry for sister gives "irmã" as the translation, and Wiktionary's page on irmã confirms it as the everyday feminine noun. The rest of this guide unpacks each row, starting with the word that everything else grows from. If you're still building your first few hundred words, keep basic words in Portuguese open in another tab, because family words show up in almost every beginner conversation.

Irmã: The Standard Word for Sister in Portuguese

"Irmã" is a feminine noun. That means it pairs with feminine articles and endings. "A irmã" is "the sister." "Uma irmã" is "a sister." The plural just adds an "s": "as irmãs," "the sisters." Dicio, a big Brazilian dictionary, lists it as a feminine noun, and the plural is "irmãs." That's it. No irregular plural, no trick.

Portuguese nouns have gender, and adjectives and possessives have to match. Wikipedia's overview of Portuguese grammar covers the full pattern, but for "irmã" you only need three matches to survive.

Notice one thing. The description comes after the noun, "irmã mais velha," not before it like in English. That order is normal in Portuguese, and you'll see it in nearly every phrase in this guide.

Now the verb you'll pair it with most. To say "she is my sister," you use "ser": "Ela é minha irmã." If you need a refresher on that tiny word "ela," the post on she in Portuguese has you covered. And if "é," "sou" and "somos" still feel slippery, the guide to ser conjugation in Portuguese lays out every form. Try it: "Eu sou a irmã mais nova" means "I'm the younger sister." "Somos irmãs" means "we're sisters."

Here's a detail people love. The word is the same in Brazil and in Portugal. Memrise's phrasebook page for "a irmã" teaches the European Portuguese version, and learners asking about Brazil get the same word. Only the accent changes, and you'll hear how in a minute.

One more trap sits in the plural. "Irmãs" means sisters only. But "irmãos," the masculine plural, can mean a mixed group. The Brazilian Ways' family vocabulary guide points out that "Tenho três irmãos" can mean three brothers or three siblings. So if a friend says "tenho três irmãos," they may have two sisters and a brother. You'd have to ask. The sibling post on brother in Portuguese covers the masculine side of this in full, so we'll keep our eyes on the sisters here.

How to Pronounce Irmã (and That Nasal "ã")

Say "irmã" the way you'd read it in English and you'll get "eer-MA." Close, but not right. The small squiggle over the last letter, the tilde, changes everything. It tells you the vowel is nasal. Some of the air leaves through your nose.

Wiktionary gives two pronunciations. In Brazil it's /iʁˈmɐ̃/. In Portugal it's /iɾˈmɐ̃/. Look at them side by side. They're almost identical. The only difference is the "r." The Brazilian symbol is a throaty, scratchy r. The European one is a quick tap of the tongue, like the middle sound of "butter" in American English. The nasal vowel at the end is the same in both.

The stress falls on the second syllable: eer-MAH. Not EER-mah. Getting the stress right matters more than getting the nasal sound perfect, because stress is what listeners lean on first.

Now the nasal part. Wikipedia's article on nasal vowels explains that these sounds happen when air flows through both the mouth and the nose. English doesn't use them as separate vowels, which is why they feel odd. Here's a simple way to build the sound.

Another teaching site breaks the same idea down in its own words. Kaiwa's guide to Portuguese nasal sounds is a good place to see the pattern from a different angle. For the bigger picture of how Portuguese vowels behave, Wikipedia's page on Portuguese phonology is the deep reference.

Here are the mistakes English speakers make most with this word.

Want to hear the difference between a nasal vowel and a plain one? Practice these pairs out loud. Each pair looks almost the same on the page but sounds different.

Also practice these words that end with the same nasal "ã": "maçã" (apple), "manhã" (morning), "amanhã" (tomorrow) and "fã" (fan). They all end with the same nasal buzz, so they're perfect warm-up words. And if you already worked on the "ão" ending, you have a head start.

Reading about a nasal vowel won't build one. Your mouth has to try it. That's where a speak-first app helps. In Comigo, you say the words out loud to Capy the capybara and see, word by word, which ones came out green and which came out red. So you can say "minha irmã" a few times, watch the feedback, and adjust until it lands. You can try it any time at app.usecomigo.com.

Where "Irmã" Comes From

Short story. "Irmã" comes from the Latin "germāna," the feminine form of "germānus," which meant a sibling with the same parents. The etymology notes on the Wiktionary page you saw earlier trace that path.

That Latin root also lives in English as "germane," meaning closely connected to something. Spanish "hermana" comes from the same place. The longer story of how the "g" fell off and the vowels turned nasal is on Wiktionary's page for irmão and in our own brother in Portuguese post, so we won't repeat it here.

But note the contrast with English. "Sister" is a Germanic word, a cousin of German "Schwester." It has no link to "irmã" at all. So there's no cognate to lean on, and you just learn "irmã" fresh. That's fine. It's one word.

Mana, Maninha and Irmãzinha: Casual Ways to Say Sister

Now the fun part. If "irmã" is what you'd say to a teacher, "mana" is what you'd text your best friend.

"Mana" is a short, friendly form of "irmã." The Dicionário Informal entry for mana says it's used especially in northern Brazil, in states like Pará and Amapá, and that it works as a friendly way to call someone. A HiNative thread on the meaning of mana shows native speakers explaining it in the same spirit.

Here's the twist that surprises learners. "Mana" isn't only for real sisters. Like English "sis" or "girl," it can be a warm way to talk to a friend. So a friend might say "oi, mana!" to you even though you share no blood at all. Don't panic when it happens. It's a compliment.

The small versions add more feeling. Here's the whole cluster in one place.

"Irmãzinha" is confirmed by Wiktionary's entry for irmãzinha as the diminutive of "irmã." The suffix "-zinha" is one of Portuguese's favorite tools. It shrinks a word and warms it up at the same time. A "casa" becomes a "casinha." A "irmã" becomes an "irmãzinha." The same idea makes "mana" into "maninha."

So how do you use them? Here are a few real-feeling examples.

Two tips. First, don't open with "mana" to someone you've just met, especially in a formal setting, because it signals closeness you may not have yet. Second, regional taste matters. Slang changes from place to place in Brazil, and Dicio's list of regional Brazilian slang shows how much variety there is. If you're planning to spend time there, the post on learning Brazilian Portuguese in Brazil explains how to pick up local speech by living it.

Older, Younger, Youngest and Twin Sisters

English has "big sister" and "little sister." Portuguese does it with simple add-ons.

Let's take the pieces one at a time. "Mais velha" and "mais nova" work like "older" and "younger" in English. "Velha" literally means "old," and "nova" means "new," so "mais nova" reads as "newer." Sounds odd, but it's normal Portuguese. "Ela é minha irmã mais velha" means "she's my older sister." "Minha irmã mais nova mora em Lisboa" means "my younger sister lives in Lisbon."

Now the fun one, "caçula." Wiktionary's page on caçula says it means the youngest sibling, that the word was borrowed from Kimbundu "kasule," and that the related words include "benjamim" and "ultimogênito," while the opposite is "primogênito," the first-born. So a girl who is the youngest is "a caçula." You'll hear it constantly in Brazilian families: "Ela é a caçula da família." It carries a soft, almost teasing love. The baby of the house.

Family lists like Migaku's guide to Portuguese family vocabulary cover the whole set of sibling words, and they're worth a look after this one.

Here's what these sound like in real sentences.

Two small warnings. First, a man says "sou filho único," and a woman says "sou filha única." The word matches the person, not the sister. Second, the number of sisters uses regular numbers: "Somos três irmãs" means "we're three sisters." If you need the words for two, three and four, the guide to numbers in Portuguese has the full run. Notice "duas irmãs" uses "duas," the feminine "two." That's a Portuguese thing you'll meet again and again.

Half Sisters, Stepsisters and Sisters by Upbringing

English is very careful here. A half sister shares one parent. A stepsister shares none, but your parents are married. Portuguese speakers are often less strict in casual talk, and they use a mix of words and small explanations.

The main word is "meia-irmã." Wiktionary defines meia-irmã as a half sister. The first part is "meia," which means "half," and the second is "irmã." So the word is honest about what it says. Plural: "meias-irmãs," where both parts take the "s."

Where things get blurry is the stepsister. Practice Portuguese's family notes list the European forms "a meia-irmã" and "as meias-irmãs," and they point out that the same term is used for step-siblings. You can also check how a dictionary handles it in Cambridge's English-Portuguese entry for stepsister.

So how do you be precise when you need to be? You describe it.

Some of these rows are everyday phrasing rather than dictionary headwords. Treat "irmã por parte de pai" and "irmã de criação" as things you may hear, and check with a native speaker if a legal or official form needs the exact term. "Madrasta" and "padrasto" are the words for a stepmother and a stepfather, and Street Smart Brazil's family vocabulary page lists both.

Notice what's beautiful here. The description trick works in any language. If you don't know the word, explain the relationship. "A filha do marido da minha mãe" is clunky, but it's clear, and no one will mind.

One more thought. Many people simply call a stepsister "minha irmã" if they grew up together. Family in Portuguese often follows love more than paperwork.

Sister-in-Law and the Rest of the Female Family

Now the wider family. And here's a rule that helps: in Portuguese, the in-law words don't mention "law" at all.

The word for sister-in-law is "cunhada." That's it. No "irmã de lei." Wiktionary's cunhada page and Dicio's entry for cunhada both treat it as its own word. It covers the everyday English cases: your spouse's sister and your brother's wife. Street Smart Brazil adds a lovely detail. These in-law words are also used for the family of a boyfriend or girlfriend, even before marriage. So your partner's sister can be "minha cunhada" long before any wedding. If you want the words that go with that big day, the post on wedding in Portuguese is the natural next read, and for the partner side, see girlfriend in Portuguese.

There's even a special word for one unusual link. Wiktionary's entry for concunhada describes it as the relationship between the wives of two brothers. So if your husband's brother has a wife, the two of you are "concunhadas." Most learners never need it. But it's a great example of how precise Portuguese family words can get.

Here's the wider set of female relatives.

If you'd like to go deeper on the older generation, our guides on how to say grandma in Portuguese, grandpa in Portuguese and father in Portuguese round out the family tree. The idea is the same across the board: learn the short core word, then add a possessive.

How to Talk About Your Sister: Phrases That Work

Time to put the words to work. Here are phrases you'd really say, grouped from simple to slightly richer. Use the Brazilian versions by default. A few European differences are flagged.

A few notes. In European Portuguese, people usually keep the article in front of the possessive: "a minha irmã." In Brazil, "minha irmã" is more common, though "a minha irmã" is also fine. And a small heads-up on names: an English name like John becomes "João" in Portuguese, so your sister might hear her own name sound a little different.

You can swap in any city after "minha irmã mora em...". The "we" in "we fight" and "we're three sisters" is built into the verb, so you can skip the word "nós" most of the time. And when you write birthdays, you'll need the month names, like "março," so learn all twelve with the months in Portuguese guide.

One last reminder about "irmãos." If a new friend says "tenho dois irmãos," you can ask, "irmãos ou irmãs?" That question is both polite and normal.

A Mini Conversation About Siblings

Let's put the pieces into a scene. Two people meet at a Brazilian barbecue. Read the Portuguese out loud. Then read it again.

Look at what's happening. Bruno asks and answers with simple sentences. He uses "caçula" for the youngest sister, "mais velha" and "mais nova" for the older and younger ones, and "manas" as a friendly joke at the end, spreading the sibling feeling to a new friend. Emma uses "sou filha única" without any awkwardness. And "irmão dela" and "irmã dela" show a handy shortcut: you can say "the sister of her" with "dela," which is very natural in speech.

If you'd like to warm up before a scene like this, review how to say hello in Portuguese for the greetings, the post on how are you in Portuguese for the small talk that follows, and the food words in Portuguese for the barbecue itself. When it's time to leave, learn a few goodbyes too.

A dialogue like this feels easy on the page and sticky in real life. So say Emma's lines out loud, then Bruno's, and go slowly. In Comigo, you can practice this kind of exchange by answering Capy out loud and checking the green and red words. It's the fastest way to find out which lines your mouth already knows. Start at app.usecomigo.com and give the barbecue scene a spin.

Irmã Beyond the Family: Nuns, Church and Chosen Sisters

Here's where "irmã" leaves the family home. Some of these uses are very common, and they can trip you up if you assume "sister" always means a sibling.

Nuns: freira and "Irmã Maria"

English uses "sister" for a nun. Portuguese does too, but with a twist. The word for a nun is "freira," and you can confirm it in Cambridge's Portuguese-English page for freira. Yet religious women are also addressed as "Irmã," followed by a name, as in "Irmã Maria."

The CSC Sisters' page on the difference between a nun and a sister explains the details. Both "freiras" and "irmãs" are "religiosas," and both are addressed as "Irmã." A "freira" is also an "irmã," but an apostolic sister is not a "freira." So if you hear "a Irmã Maria," she's a religious woman, and the word "irmã" here is a title, like "Sister" in English.

Church family

Christians in Brazilian churches often call each other "irmão" and "irmã." A Baptist church in Divinópolis explains why Christians call each other irmãos, and the habit grows from the idea of one spiritual family. So if a woman at church says "a irmã Ana vai cantar hoje," she's not talking about a biological sister. It's a warm form of address inside the community.

Chosen sisters: "irmã de outra mãe"

Then there's the best-loved figurative use. "Irmã de outra mãe" means "sister of another mother," a friend who has become family. Frases do Bem's page on "irmã de outra mãe" describes it as love that isn't based on blood. You can hear it in messages like "Você é minha irmã de outra mãe." Some people also say "irmã de consideração" for a friend who counts as family, though that phrasing is more of a spoken habit than a dictionary entry, so treat it as an informal way to say the same thing. If you're interested in the friend side of things, see friend in Portuguese and friendship in Portuguese. And for the phrase's cousins in the world of sayings, the post on common sayings in Portuguese is a fun companion.

Sororidade: sisterhood among women

Finally, a word that has grown a lot in recent years: "sororidade." It means sisterhood in the sense of solidarity between women. Dicio's entry for sororidade defines it, and the Academia Brasileira de Letras has a page on it in its new-words section. For European Portuguese, Priberam's dictionary has an entry too.

Zenklub explains sororidade as a feeling of sisterhood, empathy, solidarity and union among women. It comes from the Latin "soror," meaning sister, and it works as the feminine alternative to "fraternidade," which comes from "frater," brother.

The English idea has a history too. Sisterhood Is Powerful was a 1970 anthology edited by Robin Morgan. You'll also see "irmandade" for a group of brothers or sisters in a broader sense. But the everyday word for women standing together is "sororidade." Try saying it out loud: soh-roh-ree-DAH-jee in many Brazilian accents. It's a long one. But it's worth your mouth's time.

Sister City and Other Figurative Uses

English also uses "sister" for cities. Portuguese does the same, with one difference between the two countries.

In Brazil, a sister city is a "cidade-irmã." In Portugal, the usual term is "cidade gémea" or "cidade geminada." Brasil de Longe's article on cidades-irmãs lays out exactly this difference, and the Câmara Municipal de Santa Maria da Feira has a page on its own "cidades geminadas," which is a real European example. For the English-language background on the idea itself, Wikipedia's article on sister cities explains how two cities agree to a long-term partnership.

That's a neat little thing to know if you ever read a travel page or a city-hall website. And it teaches something bigger. When English uses "sister" for things that aren't people, don't assume Portuguese follows. Check each case. For now, stick to the cities, because that's the figurative use we can vouch for.

Dia do Irmão and Messages for Your Sister

September 5 is "Dia do Irmão" in Brazil. It's a fairly new tradition. Proteste's explainer says it isn't an official holiday, that it began in the religious sphere, and that it was inspired by Mother Teresa, who died on September 5, 1997. The same source says the Catholic Church began commemorating the day in 2007.

The day is called "do Irmão," with the masculine word, but people use it for all siblings. Exame's collection of Dia do Irmão messages shows the kind of short, warm texts people send on WhatsApp. But you don't need a special day. Here are messages for a sister that work any time.

Look closely at the thanks. A woman says "obrigada," and a man says "obrigado." The word agrees with the speaker, not with the sister. If you'd like the full picture on that, the guide to how to say thank you in Portuguese covers it. For birthdays, check how to say happy birthday in Portuguese, and for a heartfelt text, I love you in Portuguese has options from light to deep. And if you want to ask your sister for a favor after all that sweetness, remember to say "por favor."

Brazilian vs European Portuguese: What Changes for "Sister"

Honestly? Not much. Which is a relief.

The word, the grammar and the plural are the same. The accent and the spelling of "gêmea" and "gémea" differ. The habit of using "a minha" shows up more in Portugal. And slang like "mana" is best learned from the people around you, because it changes by region and by group of friends.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make With "Sister"

Here's the checklist to keep near you.

Every one of these is fixable in a day. And none of them will make people laugh at you. Portuguese speakers are usually delighted that you're trying.

How to Make These Words Stick

You've read a lot of words. Most of them will fade by tomorrow unless you use them. So here's a plan that fits into real life.

First, say the words out loud, not just in your head. Your mouth needs reps, especially for the nasal "ã." Second, tie each word to a real person. Say "minha irmã" while you think of your own sister, or a friend who feels like one. Third, use the words in tiny sentences, then longer ones. "Tenho uma irmã." Then "tenho uma irmã mais nova." Then "minha irmã mais nova mora em outra cidade."

People often ask whether all of this is hard. The honest answer is that it's manageable. The post on whether Portuguese is hard to learn walks through what really trips English speakers up, and nasal vowels are on the list. But the list is short. If you'd like a real learner's path, how one person learned Portuguese shows what a steady routine looks like, and the guide on how to learn Portuguese for free collects budget-friendly ways to practice.

Here's a simple weekly routine using only what you learned today.

Small, daily, spoken. That's the whole trick.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sister in Portuguese

How do you say sister in Portuguese?

The word is "irmã," pronounced roughly "eer-MAH" with a nasal vowel at the end. It's used in both Brazil and Portugal. "Minha irmã" means "my sister," and the plural is "irmãs."

How do you say little sister and big sister?

For a little sister, say "irmã mais nova," or use the affectionate "irmãzinha." For a big sister, say "irmã mais velha." The word "caçula" means the youngest child in the family, and "primogênita" means the first-born daughter.

Is "mana" rude?

No. It's a friendly, casual word. The Dicionário Informal describes it as a warm way to call someone, especially in northern Brazil. But it's informal, so save it for people you know, not for a job interview.

What is the plural of irmã?

It's "irmãs." Just add an "s." Remember that "irmãos" is the masculine plural and can mean "siblings" when the group has at least one brother.

How do you say "my sister is called..." in Portuguese?

Say "minha irmã se chama" plus the name. For example, "minha irmã se chama Carla" means "my sister's name is Carla." You can also say "minha irmã é a Carla."

How do you say sister-in-law?

The word is "cunhada." It covers your spouse's sister and your brother's wife. Don't translate "in-law" word by word, because Portuguese doesn't use "law" in these terms.

Is a stepsister the same as a half sister in Portuguese?

Not exactly, but people often use the same word. "Meia-irmã" is the half sister, and some sources say the same term is used for step-siblings. When it matters, you can add detail, like "a filha da minha madrasta."

How do you say sister in Portuguese in Brazil vs Portugal?

Both say "irmã." The pronunciation of the "r" is different, and Portugal often keeps the article, as in "a minha irmã." The word for a sister city also changes: "cidade-irmã" in Brazil, "cidade gémea" or "geminada" in Portugal.

How do you say "sis" in Portuguese?

There isn't one perfect match, but "mana" is the closest casual word, and "maninha" is the softer one. Both can be used for a real sister or a close friend.

How do you say sisterhood in Portuguese?

For the bond among women, say "sororidade." It means solidarity, empathy and union among women. Some people also use "irmandade" for a brotherhood or sisterhood group in a broader sense.

Back to That Family Lunch

Go back to the table from the start. Someone points and says "essa é a minha irmã." You smile, because now you know it's "eer-MAH," with the buzz at the end. A cousin yells "mana!" and you get the joke. A woman walks in, and when your friend says "é a minha cunhada," you nod like you've known it all your life.

That's the goal. Not perfect grammar. Just a mouth that knows what to do when the moment shows up. If you want to build that speaking habit with Capy, the capybara who never judges you, you can start at app.usecomigo.com and say your first "minha irmã" out loud today.

Then go text your sister. She'll love it.