son, counter for sons

About this kanji

The kanji 「郎」 primarily means "son" and is often used as a counter for sons. It is generally pronounced as "ロウ" or "リョウ" in on'yomi and "おとこ" in kun'yomi. You can see it in several common compounds, such as "新郎" (しんろう), which means "bridegroom," and "野郎" (やろう), a casual way to refer to a guy. Another example is "プー太郎" (ぷうたろう), meaning "unemployed person." While this kanji can have positive or neutral uses, it's good to be mindful of its implications in some contexts, as in "女郎" (じょろう), which refers to a sex worker.

Example sentences

• あの郎は優秀な学者です。

  That gentleman is an excellent scholar.

Meanings across languages

English

son, counter for sons

Tiếng Việt

con trai

日本語

郎

한국어

아들

中文

郎

id

anak laki-laki

th

ลูกชาย

es

hijo

fr

fils

de

Sohn

pt

filho

Common compounds

• 新郎しんろうbridegroom
• 野郎やろうguy, fellow, chap
• プー太郎ぷうたろうunemployed person, vagabond, floater
• 女郎じょろうprostitute (esp. Edo period)
• 下郎げろうservant, valet, menial
• 外郎ういろうsweet rice jelly, Edo-period herbal medicine used as an antitussive and a breath freshener
• 郎党ろうどうvassals, retainers, followers
• 郎君ろうくんyoung man, boy, son (of one's master, employer, etc.)