次男

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 次男(じなん) refers to the second-born son among a family's sons.
• Basic usage: It is used when explaining family members, siblings' careers, or their positions in a photograph.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Birth order among sons
  • It marks order among sons rather than being the second child among all children, including daughters.
  • For example, even if a daughter was born first, the first son is 長男 and the next son is 次男.
• A different reference point from 弟
  • 弟 expresses the relative relationship of being someone's younger brother, while 次男 names birth order among the family's sons.