man, male
On'yomi (音読み)
- ダン
- ナン
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- おとこ
- おとこ.だち
About this kanji
The kanji 男 primarily means "man" or "male." It is commonly used as a noun, referring to a man or boy. For example, 男性 (だんせい) means "male," and 男の子 (おとこのこ) is used for "boy." You might also encounter 男らしい (おとこらしい), which means "manly," describing traits associated with traditional masculinity. This kanji is often used in various contexts related to gender. Note that while 男 primarily refers to males, the concept of masculinity can vary across cultures, making it an interesting term to explore further.
Built from
Example sentences
男の子が遊ぶ。
The boy is playing.
Meanings across languages
- English
- man, male
- Tiếng Việt
- đàn ông, nam giới
- 日本語
- 男, 男性
- 한국어
- 남자, 남성
- 中文
- 男人, 男性
- id
- pria, laki-laki
- th
- ผู้ชาย, ชาย
- es
- hombre, masculino
- fr
- homme, masculin
- de
- Mann, männlich
- pt
- homem, masculino
Common compounds
- 男性male, man
- 男の子boy
- 男らしいmanly, masculine
Words using this kanji
Related articles
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