Counting Family Members:ー家族、ー兄弟

Counting family members in Japanese is sometimes very confusing. Suppose that you have the following sibilings:

• 兄、妹

Your answer should be:「三人兄弟です。」(you include yourself in counting)

But when someone asks you:「ご兄弟は、何人いますか。」

Your answer should be:「二人います。」(you exclude yourself in counting)

Suppose that you have the following members in your family:

• 父、母、姉、弟

「ご家族は、何人いますか。」(here, usually, you list your family members by saying:

--->「父と母と姉と弟がいます。」