男

See also: 勇

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order (Japan)

Han character

男 (Kangxi radical 102, 田+2, 7 strokes, cangjie input 田大尸 (WKS), four-corner 6042₇, composition ⿱田力)

Derived characters

• 娚, 舅, 虜, 𡇨

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 759, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 21730
• Dae Jaweon: page 1169, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2529, character 5
• Unihan data for U+7537

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		男
alternative forms		㽖 侽

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 男
Shang	Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 田 (“field”) + 力 (“strength”) – man providing the strength for agricultural and/or other kinds of (physical) labour on a field.

Etymology

Probably an area word. Compare Proto-Kiranti (*nam, "man"), Proto-Monic (*k()ɲoom, "young child"), Proto-Wa (*h/ʔn[o]m, "young man"), Thai หนุ่ม (nùm, “(of male) young; young man”) (Schuessler, 2007).

男 (“baron, lowest of five ranks of Chinese aristocracy”) is a sense derived from "man; male".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): nán (nan²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄢˊ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): nan²

• Cantonese (Jyutping): naam⁴

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): nàm
• Eastern Min (BUC): nàng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): lâm

  (Teochew, Peng'im): lam⁵ / nam⁵

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁶noe

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nán
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nán
    • Wade–Giles: nan²
    • Yale: nán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nan
    • Palladius: нань (nanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nän³⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: nan²
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: lan
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nan²¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: naam⁴
    • Yale: nàahm
    • Cantonese Pinyin: naam⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: nam⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /naːm²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: nàm
    • Hakka Romanization System: namˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: nam²
    • Sinological IPA: /nam¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: nàng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nˡaŋ⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lâm
    • Tâi-lô: lâm
    • Phofsit Daibuun: laam
    • IPA (Xiamen): /lam²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lam²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /lam¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /lam²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /lam²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: lam⁵ / nam⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lâm / nâm
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lam⁵⁵/, /nam⁵⁵/

Note:

• lam5 - Chaozhou;
• nam5 - Shantou.

• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁶noe
    • MiniDict: noe^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³noe
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /nø²³/

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• Middle Chinese: nom

Rime
Character	男
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	泥 (8)
Final (韻)	覃 (159)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	那含切
Baxter	nom
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/nʌm/
Pan Wuyun	/nəm/
Shao Rongfen	/nɒm/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/nəm/
Li Rong	/nᴀm/
Wang Li	/nɒm/
Bernard Karlgren	/năm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	nán
Expected Cantonese Reflex	naam4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*nˤ[ə]m/

  (Zhengzhang): /*nuːm/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	男
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	nán
Middle Chinese	‹ nom ›
Old Chinese	/*nˁ[ə]m/
English	man, male
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	男
Reading #	1/1
No.	9354
Phonetic component	男
Rime group	侵
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	南
Old Chinese	/*nuːm/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 男

1. man; male

   男人  ―  nánrén  ―  man

   男孩  ―  nánhái  ―  boy

2. son

   長男／长男  ―  zhǎngnán  ―  eldest son

3. baron, lowest of the five ranks of Chinese aristocracy (五等爵位) under the Zhou dynasty
4. a surname

Synonyms

• 公 (gōng, “male (of animals)”)

Antonyms

• 女 (nǚ, “female”)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (男):

• → Japanese: 男(なん) (nan); 男(だん) (dan)
• → Korean: 남(男) (nam)
• → Vietnamese: nam (男)

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

男

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. man
2. son
3. baron

Readings

• Go-on: なん (nan, Jōyō)^{←なん (nan, historical)←なむ (namu, ancient)}
• Kan-on: だん (dan, Jōyō)^{←だん (dan, historical)←だむ (damu, ancient)}
• Kun: おとこ (otoko, 男, Jōyō)^{←をとこ (wotoko, 男, historical)}; お (o, 男)^{←を (wo, 男, historical)}
• Nanori: いさみ (isami); いさむ (isamu); おと (oto)^{←をと (woto, historical)}

Compounds

Compounds

• 男(だん)系(けい) (dankei, “male succession”)
• 男(だん)根(こん) (dankon, “penis”)
• 男(だん)子(し) (danshi, “boy”)
• 男(だん)児(じ) (danji, “infant boy”)
• 男(だん)娼(しょう) (danshō, “male prostitute”)
• 男(だん)爵(しゃく) (danshaku, “baron”)
• 男(だん)女(じょ) (danjo, “man and woman”)
• 男(だん)色(しょく) (danshoku, “homosexual”)
• 男(だん)性(せい) (dansei, “man”)
• 男(だん)声(せい) (dansei, “male voice”)
• 男(だん)装(そう) (dansō, “male costume”)
• 男(だん)尊(そん)女(じょ)卑(ひ) (dansonjohi, “male chauvinism”)
• 男(だん)優(ゆう) (dan'yū, “actor”)
• 男(なん)根(こん) (nankon)
• 男(なん)色(しょく) (nanshoku)
• 下(げ)男(なん) (genan)
• 次(じ)男(なん), 二(じ)男(なん) (jinan)
• 善(ぜん)男(なん) (zennan)
  • 善(ぜん)男(なん)善(ぜん)女(にょ) (zennan zennyo)
• 息(そく)男(なん) (sokunan, “son”, honorific)
• 嫡(ちゃく)男(なん) (chakunan)
• 長(ちょう)男(なん) (chōnan)
• 美(び)男(なん) (binan), 美(び)男(だん) (bidan)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
男
おとこ Grade: 1
kun’yomi

⟨woto₂ko₁⟩ → */wotəkʷo/ → /wotoko/ → /otoko/

From Old Japanese.

Derived from おと (oto, cognate with Old Japanese 復つ (wotu → otsu), “to become young”) +‎ 子 (ko, “child”).

Compare 少女 (otome, “young woman”).

Alternative forms

• (civilized man, manga slang): 漢

Noun

男(おとこ) • (otoko) ^{←をとこ (wotoko)?}

1. a man

   Antonym: 女 (onna)

2. a male

   Synonym: 雄 (osu)

3. a male lover

   Synonyms: 愛人 (aijin), 情人 (jōjin, jōnin), 情夫 (jōfu)

4. a manservant

   Synonym: 下男 (genan)

5. a husband

   Synonym: 夫 (otto)

6. (obsolete) an unmarried young man
7. (colloquial) homosexuality

   Synonyms: 男色 (danshoku), 若道 (nyakudō)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 男(おとこ)し (otokoshi)
• 男郎花(オトコエシ) (otokoeshi), 男郎花(おとこめし) (otokomeshi)
• 男(おとこ)親(おや) (otokōya, “male parent”)
• 男(おとこ)神(がみ) (otokogami, “masculine god”)
• 男(おとこ)側(がわ) (otokogawa, “man's side”)
• 男(おとこ)気(ぎ) (otokogi, “chivalrous spirit”)
• 男(おとこ)心(ごころ) (otoko-gokoro, “male mind”)
• 男(おとこ)言(こ)葉(とば) (otoko kotoba, “male language”)
• 男(おとこ)坂(ざか) (otokozaka, “steep slope”)
• 男(おとこ)手(で) (otokode, “male worker”)
• 男(おとこ)友達(ともだち) (otoko tomodachi, “boyfriend, male friend”)
• 男(おとこ)の子(こ) (otoko no ko, “boy”)
• 男(おとこ)の人(ひと) (otoko no hito, “adult man”)
• 男(おとこ)前(まえ) (otokomae)
• 男(おとこ)役(やく) (otokoyaku, “role of man”)
• 男(おとこ)山(やま) (otokoyama, “steep mountain”)
• 男(おとこ)鰥(やもめ) (otoko yamome)
• 男(おとこ)湯(ゆ) (otokoyu, “men's bath”)
• 男(おとこ)を上(あ)げる (otoko o ageru)
• 男(おとこ)を売(う)る (otoko o uru)
• 男(おとこ)を下(さ)げる (otoko o sageru)
• 男(おとこ)を知(し)る (otoko o shiru)
• 男(おとこ)を磨(みが)く (otoko o migaku)
• 色(いろ)男(おとこ) (irōtoko)
• 作(さく)男(おとこ) (sakuotoko)
• 下(しも)男(おとこ) (shimōtoko)
• 間(ま)男(おとこ) (maotoko)
• むくつけ男(おとこ) (mukutsuke otoko)
• 雪(ゆき)男(おとこ) (yuki otoko)

Idioms

Idioms

• 男(おとこ)が廃(すた)る (otoko ga sutaru)
• 男(おとこ)が立(た)つ (otoko ga tatsu)
• 男(おとこ)になる (otoko ni naru)
• 男(おとこ)は気(き)で持(も)て (otoko wa ki de mote)
• 男(おとこ)は閾(しきい)を跨(また)げば七人(しちにん)の敵(てき)あり (otoko wa shikii o matageba shichinin no teki ari)
• 男(おとこ)は辞(じ)儀(ぎ)に余(あま)れ (otoko haji gi ni amare)
• 男(おとこ)は松(まつ)女(おな)子(ご)は藤(ふじ) (otoko wa matsu onago wa fuji)

Proverbs

• 男(おとこ)の目(め)には糸(いと)を引(ひ)け女(おんな)の目(め)には鈴(すず)を張(は)れ (otoko no me ni wa ito o hike onna no me ni wa suzu o hare)
• 男(おとこ)は度胸(どきょう)女(おんな)は愛嬌(あいきょう) (otoko wa dokyō onna wa aikyō)
• 男(おとこ)は裸(はだか)百貫(ひゃっかん) (otoko wa hadaka-hyakkan)

Proper noun

男(おとこ) • (Otoko) ^{←をとこ (wotoko)?}

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
男
お Grade: 1
kun’yomi

/wo/ → /o/

From Old Japanese.

Alternative forms

• 夫
• (male): 雄, 牡

Noun

男(お) • (o) ^{←を (wo)?}

1. a man
   • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 5:

     ...那許曾波(なこそは)遠(を)迩伊麻世婆(にいませば)... [Man'yōgana]

     ...汝(な)こそはをにいませば... [Modern spelling]

     na koso wa o ni imaseba

     (please add an English translation of this example)

   Antonym: 女 (me)

2. a husband

   Synonym: 夫 (otto)

   Antonym: 女 (me)

3. a male

   Antonym: 女, 牝, 雌 (me)

4. something large, powerful, or otherwise masculine

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 男男(おお)しい, 男々(おお)しい (ooshii)
• 男(お)滝(だき) (odaki)
• 男(お)猫(ねこ) (oneko)
• 男(お)雛(びな) (obina)
• 桂(かつら)男(お) (katsurao)
• 須佐之男(すさのお) (Susanoo)
• 益荒(ますら)男(お), 大夫(ますらお), 丈夫(ますらお) (masurao)
• 寡(やも)男(お) (yamō)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
男
おのこ Grade: 1
irregular

Compound of 男 (o, “male”, see above) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 子 (ko, “child”).

Alternative forms

• 男の子

Noun

男(おのこ) • (onoko) ^{←をのこ (wonoko)?}

1. a boy

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 男(おのこ)手(で) (onokode)
• 男(おのこ)同胞(はらから) (onoko harakara)
• 東(あずま)男(おとこ) (azuma-otoko)
• 上(うえ)の男(おのこ) (ue no onoko)
• 下種(げす)男(おのこ) (gesu onoko)
• 才(ざえ)の男(おのこ) (zae no onoko)
• むくつけ男(おのこ) (mukutsuke onoko)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
男
なん Grade: 1
goon

/nam/ → /namʉ/ → /naɴ/

From Middle Chinese 男 (MC nom).

The goon reading, so likely initial borrowing.

Noun

男(なん) • (nan) 

1. a man

   Synonym: 男性 (dansei)

2. a son

   Synonyms: 倅 (segare), 息子 (musuko)

Derived terms

• 一(いち)男(なん) (ichinan)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
男
だん Grade: 1
kan’on

/dam/ → /damʉ/ → /daɴ/

From Middle Chinese 男 (MC nom).

The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.

Noun

男(だん) • (dan) 

1. a man
2. a son
3. a young man, especially one who reached adulthood

   Synonyms: 壮丁 (sōtei), 若者 (wakamono)

4. (historical) a baron

   Synonym: 男爵 (danshaku)

Proper noun

男(だん) • (Dan) 

1. a male given name

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Korean

Hanja

男 (eumhun 사내 남 (sanae nam))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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Kunigami

Kanji

男 (hiragana いけが, romaji ikega, hiragana うんが, romaji unga)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Ryukyuan *weke.

Noun

男 (hiragana いけが, romaji ikega)

1. man

Etymology 2

From Proto-Ryukyuan *wenga.

Noun

男 (hiragana うんが, romaji unga)

1. man

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Oki-No-Erabu

Kanji

男 (hiragana いぃんが, romaji yinga)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *wenga.

Noun

男 (hiragana いぃんが, romaji yinga)

1. man

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Okinawan

Kanji

男

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Kun: ゐきが (wikiga); ゆきが (yukiga); うぅとぅく (wutuku)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
男
ゐきが Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Kanji in this term
男
ゆきが Grade: 1
kun’yomi

From Proto-Ryukyuan *weke.

Noun

男(ゐきが) or 男(ゆきが) (wikiga or yukiga) 

1. man

Derived terms

• 男しーじゃ (ゐきがしーじゃ, wikiga shīja, “older brother”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
男
をぅとぅく Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Possibly from Japanese 男 (otoko, “man”).

Noun

男(うぅとぅく) (wutuku) 

1. (literary) man

References

• “ゐきが【男】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ヰキガ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).
• “ヲゥトゥク” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).

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Vietnamese

Han character

男: Hán Việt readings: nam
男: Nôm readings: nam

1. Template:han tu form of

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Yonaguni

Kanji

男 (hiragana びんが, romaji binga)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *wenga.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biŋɡa/

Noun

男 (hiragana びんが, romaji binga)

1. man

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Yoron

Kanji

男 (hiragana をぅいが, romaji wuiga)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *weke.

Noun

男 (hiragana をぅいが, romaji wuiga)

1. man