Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [gender]

男女の言葉遣い. For questions about gender-specific speech or how to address or refer to people depending on their gender. Note that Japanese doesn't have grammatical gender.

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What differences should I look out for between male vs female speech?

I was told a story where a male westerner learnt Japanese from his girlfriend and ended up speaking more like a female. The storyteller thought this was hilarious. What important differences should I look for between male and female speech?
gak
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When women use わ at the end of a sentence, is it different from よ?

My understanding of using わ at the end of a sentence is that it's essentially just for emphasis, just like using よ, and that only women can use it. However, as far as I know, women can, and often do, use よ as well. So is there a difference in…
Questioner
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What is the female equivalent for 「ご主人様」 or "master?"

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe novel, the character Aslan orders centaurs and eagles to chase a wolf, saying, "He will be going to his mistress." He is referring to the wolf's female master, the White Witch, who considers herself to be…
seijitsu
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Usage of いる/います and ある/あります in combined words and sentences

Actually, this has been lingering for sometime in my mind about how Japanese convey a sentence which has both the living and non-living things. Will Japanese use いる or ある? or whichever comes first? or both are acceptable? or Japanese will prefer to…
Flonne
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The gender of 子

Is 子 ever used to refer to a boy, or is it always used for girls? Is 悪い子 used only for girls?
language hacker
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How to sound more manly when sneaking popcorn into the cinema

OK, really esoteric question time: So I went to the cinema with a female friend on the weekend. I was going to buy some of the horrendously overpriced popcorn there, but then she said: 持ってきちゃった! And she had already brought some in her bag.…
MatthewRNYC
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"お休みなさい" not appropriate between male neighbours?

In a japanese マンション I noticed that after sharing the common elevator when going back home at night, most of the female residents would greet by "お休みなさい" before leaving, while it seemed that male residents would remain silent in a similar…
wip
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What word can I use for 'they', when referring to a mixed gender group?

I.e. for a group of guys, you have: 彼たち、かれら and for girls it's:　彼女たち　彼女ら So if you have a mixed group, which one should you go with? Is there a different word?
Pootan
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Is interjection ねえ、ねえ gender agnostic?

Is ねえ、ねえ used by males, females or both?
user1602
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how could a sentence end with (noun + "よ"?)

I'd thought you cannot end a sentence with a noun. Rather: noun + だ。 noun + です。 noun + である。 noun + であります。 noun + でございます。 But in a movie dialogue, I heard: "大切なのは、心よ。" Ending a sentence with a noun sounds weird. In every situation, I add "です" (or…
davewp
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Is ending a statement with の really feminine?

I saw this very interesting and useful Q&A: Is ending question sentences with の really feminine? a while back, and it seemed to align with my own understanding of the 終助詞の. But I have heard this usage from male speakers, both (very occasionally) in…
Eddie Kal
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The word いや - gender?

I've been told that いや (in its use similar to いいえ) is a mainly masculine word, but I've heard many female speakers use it, both as a filler and a content word expressing disagreement. Is it that young female speakers use it these days?
Angelos
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Is using 笑 to mean "lol" feminine or gender-neutral?

On Facebook, you see 笑 getting used a decent amount to mean "lol". To my American eyes, using something that literally means "smile" - and even looks semi-subconsciously kind of like an advanced emoticon of somebody winking their eye - comes across…
Panzercrisis
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What's the female equivalent for the informal ぼく?

What's the female equivalent for the informal ぼく? I've heard that females will tend to use わたし, but then it's said to be formal. Doesn't there exist a female informal "I"?
Armen Tsirunyan
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Are there stereotypical speech patterns or inflections associated with gay Japanese speakers?

This is not intended to be a controversial or provocative question. In English, there are "commonly accepted" stereotypes for how gay people sometimes speak. Are there corresponding characteristics to how gay Japanese people speak, either specific…
user1316
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