男 means “man / male”

Watch: Gen and Shibamaru learn 男

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Where 男 comes from

男 is 田 (rice field) on top of 力 (power). It is often explained as the person who works hard in the field.

Stroke order (7 strokes)

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7

Words with 男

• 

  男の人おとこのひと

  OTOKONOHITO

  man

• 

  男の子おとこのこ

  OTOKONOKO

  boy

• 

  男性だんせい

  DANSEI

  male

• 

  男湯おとこゆ

  OTOKOYU

  men's bath

The part of each word written with 男 is shown in orange. Audio: the readings from our video.

Reading tips

• Saying just 男 (OTOKO) can sound rough. 男の人 (OTOKO NO HITO) is the polite way to say "man."
• 男性 (DANSEI) is the formal word, used on forms and signs.

Other readings of 男

• ナン長男 ちょうなん CHOUNAN eldest son

These readings are not in the video. You will meet them later.

In the video

• Gen男湯は どっちだ？Which one is the men's bath?
• Shibamaruこの 字を さがそう！Look for this kanji!

At a Japanese public bath or 温泉 (ONSEN, hot spring), the men's side often has 男 on the curtain.

Example sentences

• あの 男の人は 先生です。

  ANO OTOKO NO HITO WA SENSEI DESU.

  That man is a teacher.

• 男の子が ふたり います。

  OTOKO NO KO GA FUTARI IMASU.

  There are two boys.

Keep learning kanji

• GENKI I Textbook (3rd Edition)

  Beginner

  A popular first textbook used in many university courses. Each lesson has a dialogue, grammar explanations in English, and plenty of practice.

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• Minna no Nihongo Beginner I Main Textbook (2nd Edition)

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  Written entirely in Japanese, with lots of sentence-pattern practice. Use it together with the Translation & Grammar Notes book.

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