What is the Kanji for "Man"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Man" is "男".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Otoko".

Its onyomi readings are "Dan" and "Nan".

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 kanji "田" means "Rice field" and can be read as "Den" and "Ta". And The kanji "力" means "Power" and can be read as "Riki", "Ryoku", and "Chikara".

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

What does the kanji "男" mean in japanese?

"男" means "Man".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in First Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N5 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

男: "Man". The Japanese noun '男 (おとこ)' refers to an adult male human being. It can be used to describe biological sex as well as gender identity. The term conveys a sense of masculinity and adulthood. Examples: That man over there - (あそこの男). She married a good man - (彼女はいい男と結婚した).

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).

男女: "Male and female". The Japanese noun '男女 (だんじょ)' means 'male and female'. This word refers to both men and women, or the genders of people in general. It can be used to describe a group or population that includes both males and females. For example: The school has an equal ratio of male and female students - (その学校は男女の比率が等しい). Male and female employees - (男女の従業員)

男らしい: "Manly". The Japanese adjective '男らしい (おとこらしい)' means 'manly'. This adjective is used to describe someone or something that exhibits characteristics traditionally associated with masculinity, such as strength, courage, and assertiveness. It can be used to compliment a man for having a strong, confident, and masculine demeanor. For example: He has a very manly personality - (彼は非常に男らしい性格だ). That is a manly haircut - (あれは男らしい髪型だ).

男の子: "Boy". The Japanese noun '男の子 (おとこのこ)' refers to a young male human. This word is used to describe a male child or adolescent. It can be used to refer to a son, grandson, or any young male individual. For example: I have a little boy - (私は男の子がいます). The boy is playing outside - (男の子は外で遊んでいます).

男子: "Man". The Japanese noun '男子 (だんし)' means 'man'. This word refers to an adult male human being. It can be used to describe a grown-up male person as opposed to a boy or a woman. For example: The man went to work - (男子は仕事に行った). He is a kind man - (彼は優しい男子です).

長男: "Eldest son". The Japanese noun '長男 (ちょうなん)' refers to the eldest son in a family. This term is used to indicate the firstborn male child, who may be expected to inherit the family business or take on other responsibilities. For example: My eldest son is studying law - (私の長男は法律を勉強しています). He is the eldest son in our family - (彼は私の家族の長男です).

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).

次男: "Second son". The Japanese noun '次男 (じなん)' refers to the second-born male child in a family. It is used to indicate birth order and distinguish between children. '次男' suggests the person is the second eldest son, usually after an older brother. For example: My next son is the second son - (私の次の息子は次男です). She is the second son in our family - (彼女は私たちの家族の次男です).

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 "だ" is read as "da". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". The hiragana "な" is read as "na". The hiragana "お" is read as "o". The hiragana "と" is read as "to". And The hiragana "こ" is read as "ko".

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.