男 — how to write the kanji for “male”

男 (“male”) is a JLPT N5 kanji taught in first grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 240th most used kanji. KANJIDIC2 gives it 2 on readings and 2 kun readings, so the word decides how you say it. Its parts sit stacked: 田 (“rice field”, its radical), strokes 1–5; 力 (“power”), strokes 6–7, each finished before the next. On its own it is the word otoko, “man; male”. Read dan, it forms 男子 (“boy”), 男性 (“man”) and 男女 (“men and women”); the native reading otoko gives 男の子 (“boy”) and 年男 (“man born in a year with the…”). Chinese reads it nán, “male”, at HSK 1.

Strokes

7

JLPT

N5

Radical

田 (“rice field”)

On

ダン, ナン

Kun

おとこ, お