男 — “man” in Japanese

Grade 1だん, なん, おとこ

Radical ⽥ · radical 102 The building block this kanji is filed under

“man” in Japanese is 男, read dan, nan, otoko (だん, なん, おとこ). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 男の子 (boy).

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What does 男 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	男
Meaning	man
Readings	だん, なん, おとこ
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	男の子 (boy)

How to read 男

男 is read dan (だん) or nan (なん) or otoko (おとこ) depending on the word.

Words with 男

男性だんせい
男の子

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Kanji read the same way as 男

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Updated: 2026-08-28