What is the Kanji for "Gender" and "Sex"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Gender" and "Sex", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Gender" and "Sex" is "性".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its onyomi readings are "Shou" and "Sei".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The component "忄" . And The kanji "生" means "Life" and can be read as "Nama", "U", "Shou", "Sei", and "I".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "性" mean in japanese?

"性" means "Gender" and "Sex".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fifth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

女性: "Woman". The Japanese noun '女性 (じょせい)' means 'woman'. This word is used to refer to an adult female human being. It can be used to describe women in general or to refer to a specific woman. '女性' is a general term and does not carry any particular connotation. For example: She is a strong woman - (彼女は強い女性です). Many women gathered at the event - (多くの女性が行事に集まりました).

男性: "Man". The Japanese noun '男性 (だんせい)' means 'man'. This word refers to a male human being. It can be used to describe adult males or males in general. For example: The man is tall - (男性は背が高い). The new employee is a man - (新入社員は男性です).

性格: "Character" or "Personality". The Japanese noun '性格 (せいかく)' refers to one's character, personality or disposition. It encompasses the combination of mental, emotional, and behavioral traits that define an individual. This word is used to describe a person's inherent qualities, habits, and the way they typically think, feel and act. For example: He has a very nice personality - (彼の性格はとてもいい). Her character is quiet and reserved - (彼女の性格は静かで控えめだ).

性質: "Nature". The Japanese noun '性質 (せいしつ)' means 'nature'. It refers to the inherent characteristics, qualities, or attributes of a person, thing, or phenomenon. It can be used to describe the essential features or fundamental properties that define something. For example: Her gentle nature - (彼女の優しい性質). The nature of their relationship - (彼らの関係の性質)

性: "Nature" or "Sex". The Japanese noun '性 (せい)' has two main meanings: 'nature' and 'sex'. In the first sense, it refers to the inherent characteristics or essential quality of something. For example: His kind nature - (彼の優しい性). In the second sense, it refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define male and female. For example: Men and women have different sexes - (男女は異なる性を持っている).

性別: "Gender". The Japanese noun '性別 (せいべつ)' refers to the biological or social classification of a person as male, female, or another gender. It can be used to describe someone's biological sex, or the socially constructed roles and identities associated with gender. For example: What is your gender? - (あなたの性別は何ですか). The gender of the group was evenly split between male and female - (そのグループの性別は男女半々だった).

女性的: "Feminine". The Japanese adjective '女性的 (じょせいてき)' means 'feminine'. This adjective is used to describe something that has qualities or characteristics traditionally associated with women, such as softness, gracefulness, or delicacy. It can be applied to physical appearance, behavior, or even inanimate objects. For example: She has a very feminine style of dress - (彼女の服装は女性的です). This vase has a feminine design - (この花瓶は女性的なデザインです).

個性: "Individuality". The Japanese noun '個性 (こせい)' refers to one's distinctive character, personality, or qualities that make a person unique and different from others. It encompasses the unique traits, behaviors, mannerisms, and ways of thinking that define an individual. For example: She has a strong individuality - (彼女は強い個性を持っている). Everyone has their own individuality - (みんな独自の個性を持っている).

異性: "Opposite sex". The noun '異性 (いせい)' refers to the opposite sex or gender. It is used to describe the gender that is different from one's own. For example: I'm attracted to the opposite sex - (私は異性に惹かれる). She is a member of the opposite sex - (彼女は異性の一人である).

活性: "Activation". The noun '活性 (かっせい)' means 'activation'. It refers to the process of making something active or energetic. This word can be used in various contexts, such as the activation of enzymes, the activation of immune cells, or the activation of chemical reactions. For example: The enzyme activation caused the reaction to proceed faster - (酵素の活性化により反応は早くなった). His immune system became highly activated - (彼の免疫システムは大きく活性化された).

理性: "Reason". The Japanese noun '理性 (りせい)' refers to the faculty of rational thought, judgment and understanding. It represents the ability to think logically and make sound decisions based on logic and reasoning, rather than emotions or instincts. This word is often used to describe the human capacity for rational, analytic and objective thinking. For example: He made that decision using his reason - (彼はその決断を理性的に考えて行った). The philosophers discussed the nature of human reason - (哲学者たちは人間の理性の本質について議論した).

性能: "Performance". The noun '性能 (せいのう)' refers to the performance, efficiency or capabilities of something. It can be used to describe the overall functionality, output or results achieved by a machine, device, system or even a person. For example: The new car has excellent performance - (新しい車は性能がとてもよい). The product's performance exceeded our expectations - (その製品の性能は私たちの期待を超えていた).

特性: "Characteristic". The Japanese noun '特性 (とくせい)' means 'characteristic'. This word refers to a distinguishing quality, feature, or attribute of a person, object, or thing. It can be used to describe the inherent qualities or properties that define something or someone. For example: The unique characteristics of this flower - (この花の特性); Her leadership characteristics are admirable - (彼女のリーダーシップの特性は素晴らしい)

同性: "Same-sex". The Japanese noun '同性 (どうせい)' refers to a person of the same sex or gender as another. It is a general term used to describe individuals who identify with the same gender identity. This term can be used in a variety of contexts, such as when discussing same-sex relationships, gender equality, or LGBTQ+ issues. For example: They are a same-sex couple - (彼らは同性のカップルです). I support same-sex marriage - (私は同性婚を支持しています).

男性的: "Masculine". The Japanese adjective '男性的 (だんせいてき)' means 'masculine'. This adjective is used to describe something or someone that has characteristics typically associated with men, such as strength, toughness, or assertiveness. It can be used to describe physical attributes, personality traits, or even objects or activities. For example: He has a very masculine appearance - (彼は非常に男性的な外見をしている). This car has a masculine design - (この車は男性的なデザインだ).

感性: "Sensitivity". The Japanese noun '感性 (かんせい)' refers to one's capacity for sensitive perception and intuitive understanding. It encompasses the ability to perceive and respond to aesthetic, emotional, and sensory stimuli with nuance and awareness. This word is often used to describe an individual's refined or discerning aesthetic sensibilities. For example: She has a keen sensitivity to art - (彼女は芸術に対して敏感な感性を持っている). The designer's products reflect their strong visual sensitivity - (そのデザイナーの商品には強い感性が反映されている).

性的: "Sexual". The adjectival noun '性的 (せいてき)' refers to matters related to sex or sexuality. It can be used to describe things or behaviors that have a sexual nature or are associated with sexual activity. For example: Sexual desire - (性的な欲望). Sexual harassment - (性的な嫌がらせ).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "し" is read as "shi". The hiragana "う" is read as "u". The hiragana "せ" is read as "se". And The hiragana "い" is read as "i".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.