Japanese Gender
Welcome to the fifth Japanese lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Japanese to help you practice your daily phrases. To hear the pronunciation, just click on the sound icon.
man  男性 [dansei] | woman 女性 [josei] | husband 夫 [otto] | wife 妻 [tsuma] |
boy 少年 [shounen] | girl 少女 [shoujo] | father 父親 [chichioya] | mother 母親 [hahaoya] |
Gender Grammar Rules
In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.
| Grammar + Rules | Japanese + Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| my son is a student [masculine + noun] | 私の息子は学生です。 [watashi no musuko wa gakusei desu] |
| her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] | 彼女の娘さんは学生です。 [kanojo no musume san wa gakusei desu] |
| he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] | 彼には背の高い兄弟がいます。 [kare ni wa se no takai kyoudai ga i masu] |
| she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] | 彼女には背の高い姉妹がいます。 [kanojo ni wa se no takai shimai ga i masu] |
| his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] | 彼の兄弟は、若いです。 [kare no kyoudai wa, wakai desu] |
| his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] | 彼の姉妹は若いです。 [kare no shimai wa wakai desu] |
The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.
son 息子 [musuko] | daughter 娘 [musume] | brother 兄弟 [kyoudai] | sister 姉妹 [shimai] |
grandfather 祖父 [sofu] | grandmother 祖母 [sobo] | child 子ども [kodomo] | children 子どもたち [kodomo tachi] |
Expressions in Japanese
Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Japanese, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.
| English | Japanese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| What do you mean? | どういう意味ですか？ | [douiu imi desu ka?] |
| I don't understand | 私には分かりません。 | [watashi ni wa wakari mase n] |
| I don't know | 私は知りません。 | [watashi wa shiri mase n] |
| What is that called in Japanese? | 日本語でなんといいますか？ | [nihongo de nanto ii masu ka?] |
| What is this? | これは何ですか？ | [kore wa nan desu ka?] |
| What does that word mean in English? | その言葉は英語でなんといいますか？ | [sono kotoba wa eigo de nanto ii masu ka?] |
| Sorry (if you made a mistake) | すみません。 | [sumimasen] |
I hope you enjoyed this lesson about the gender in Japanese. If you have any question about this lesson please contact me here. Now it's time to check the next lesson below.
| Japanese Numbers |
Inspirational Quote: High achievement always takes place in a framework of high expectation. Jack Kinder |