男性
dansei[dã̠ɰ̃se̞ː]
In Japanese, the word for 'male' (referring to a human of masculine sex or gender) is 男性 (dansei).
男性 is used to refer to a human male. It can function as a noun or be used as an adjective to describe something belonging to the male sex or gender.
Meaning: human of masculine sex or gender (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 男性 specifically refers to human males, the word 雄 is used when referring to animals or biological sex in a non-human context.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
男性 is the polite and standard term. For a more blunt and informal way to say 'man' or 'male', you can use 男. If you wish to say 'male person' in a formal manner, you may use otoko no hito.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the noun 男性 as an adjective (for example, to say 'a male nurse'), you must add the particle の to form 男性の.
How do you pronounce it?
dansei
Did you know?
- The kanji for 'male' 男 is originally a combination of the characters for 'field' and 'power', symbolizing a person who has the strength to work the land.
- If you use the word 男 (man/male) to describe yourself in a social setting, it can come across as sounding overly assertive, rough, or even unrefined.
- In traditional Japanese theater like Kabuki, all 'male' roles, including those of 男性, are played by men, but the most famous female roles are also played by specialized male actors called 女形.
Examples in context
- トムは男性の名前です。Tom is a male name.This sentence shows how to use 男性 in the context of a name.Tatoeba #8002431 by Ninja, translation #8000624 by CK
- 男性看護師に診てもらいたいですか？Would you prefer to be examined by a male nurse?This sentence demonstrates using the adjective form 男性 to describe a nurse.Tatoeba #9943115 by small_snow, translation #9943107 by NurseMeeks
- 今は、男性の看護師さんも多いですよ。Nowadays, there are many male nurses.This sentence uses 男性 to describe the prevalence of male nurses.Tatoeba #11569680 by small_snow, translation #4476863 by AlanF_US
- 今日の会議で男の人の参加者が多かったね。There were many male participants in today's meeting, right?
- はい、男性の比率が高かったです。Yes, the male ratio was high.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are discussing a new staff member at work.
- 健太 Kenta新しいスタッフは男性ですか？Atarashii sutaffu wa dansei desu ka?Is the new staff member male?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、若い男性ですよ。Hai, wakai dansei desu yo.Yes, he is a young man.
- 健太 Kentaそうなんですね。楽しみです。Sō nan desu ne. Tanoshimi desu.I see. I'm looking forward to it.
- 結衣 Yui明日、紹介しますね。Ashita, shōkai shimasu ne.I will introduce him to you tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “male” translations and entries 男性, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
