男
男 — Male
male
On’yomiダン (dan)
On’yomiナン (nan)
Kun’yomiおとこ (otoko)
Kun’yomiお (o)
Stroke order (7 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 男
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 男 | おとこ otoko | man; male; fellow |
| 男子 | だんし danshi | boy; man; male |
| 男性 | だんせい dansei | man; male; masculine gender |
| 長男 | ちょうなん chounan | eldest son (may be the only son); first-born son |
| 男女 | だんじょ danjo | men and women; man and woman; both sexes |
| 男の子 | おとこのこ otokonoko | boy; son; baby boy |
Study notes
男 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #240 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.