Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 男 | otoko | [o̞to̞ko̞] (narrow) [o̞] (narrow) |
| 男性 | dansei | [dã̠ɰ̃se̞ː] (narrow) |
| 男の人 | otoko no hito | [o̞to̞ko̞ no̞ çi̥to̞] (narrow) |
The word refers to an adult male human. While the root noun 男 can be used in compounds like 男らしさ to express 'manliness' or 'masculinity', it is not the most common way to refer to a person in daily conversation.
Which one should you use?
The different forms of the word are used depending on the level of politeness and formality required. 男性 is a formal way to refer to a man, often used in medical contexts, surveys or formal announcements. 男の人 is the standard, polite way to refer to a man in everyday conversation. 男 is a more blunt or direct form.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
You can add the suffix -san after a name to show respect, such as Sato-san meaning Mr. Sato.
How do you pronounce it?
otoko
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the blunt form 男 instead of the polite 男の人 when referring to a man they do not know, which can sound rude.
Did you know?
- The kanji 男 is composed of the characters for 'field' and 'power', reflecting an ancient association between masculinity and agricultural labor.
- In Japanese, the word 男 can be used as a prefix in 男言葉 to describe a specific style of speech characterized by bluntness and assertive endings.
- The word 男 (otoko) is actually a compound that historically means 'young child'. It is believed to have originated from a combination of a word for 'young' and the word for 'child', 子.
Examples in context
- 男になれよ。Be a man.This sentence shows how to use 男.Tatoeba #3480420 by arnab, translation #2221008 by Hybrid
- トムは男前だ。Tom is a handsome man.Tatoeba #2060614 by bunbuku, translation #1025172 by CK
- 彼は勇敢な男だ。He is a brave man.Tatoeba #99348 by bunbuku, translation #304349 by CK
- 368 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiroto and Himari are talking about a stranger they saw.
- 大翔 Hirotoあそこに立っている男は誰？Asoko ni tatte iru otoko wa dare?Who is that man standing over there?
- 陽葵 Himari知らない人だと思うよ。Shiranai hito da to omou yo.I think he is a stranger.
- 大翔 Hirotoかっこいい男だね。Kakkoii otoko da ne.He's a cool-looking man, isn't he?
- 陽葵 Himariそうかもね。Sou kamo ne.Maybe so.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “man” translations and entries 男, 男性, 男の人, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 男, 男の人, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
