男 Meaning, Reading, and Vocabulary Guide | Onyomi ダン・Kunyomi おとこ
The kanji 男 means 'man', representing someone using strength (力) to work in a field (田).
Its onyomi readings are ダン (dan) or ナン (nan), and its kunyomi reading is おとこ (otoko).
It is a basic JLPT N5 kanji frequently used in words related to gender.
Kanji at a glance
Core meaning / core image
男 is a kanji that means man or male. It originated from the role of men who primarily did physical labor in the fields during ancient agricultural societies. Today, it is widely used as the most basic kanji to refer to a male.
Kanji structure breakdown
Mnemonic story
This kanji depicts a person using their strength (力) to work in a rice field (田). It came to mean a 'man', representing those who sweat and worked hard in the fields.
On'yomi and kun'yomi
On reading
Kun reading
Commonly used words
Example sentences
Mini quiz
Which of the following words has a different reading for the kanji '男'?
One-line summary
The kanji 男 means 'man', representing someone using strength (力) in a field (田). Be sure to remember its onyomi ダン/ナン and kunyomi おとこ!
FAQ
What is the difference between 男の人 and 男性?
男の人 (おとこのひと) is mainly used in casual, everyday conversation to refer to a 'man'. 男性 (だんせい) is more natural in formal expressions, written language, or when referring to the objective male gender.
How do I distinguish between the onyomi readings ダン and ナン?
Words meaning a general male (like 男性, 男子) are usually read as ダン. When indicating the birth order of brothers or family relationships (like 長男, 次男), it is generally read as ナン.
