Men, women, people
Core words, Stage 3chunk 18 of 76People
Lets you talk about men, women and people in general.
Mix-ups otoko and onna sound blunt about a specific person; josei or otoko no hito is the polite choice.
otoko
man; guy
On its own it sounds blunt about a specific man; otoko no hito is the neutral way to say 'a man'.
otoko no ko is a boy. Opposite: onna.
otoko tte hontou ni baka da yo ne.
Men are so dumb, aren't they?
男って本当にバカだよね。
otoko tte hontou ni baka desu yo ne.
Men are so dumb, aren't they?
男って本当にバカですよね。
Written 男 · おとこRank #159 in 3,030 TV dramas
onna
woman
On its own it sounds blunt, even rude, about a specific woman; onna no hito is the neutral way to say 'a woman'.
onna no ko is a girl. Opposite: otoko.
onna tte muzukashii na.
Women are hard to figure out.
女って難しいな。
onna tte muzukashii desu ne.
Women are hard to figure out, aren't they?
女って難しいですね。
Written 女 · おんなRank #247 in 3,030 TV dramas
ningen
human; person
Stresses being human or what kind of person someone is; for 'a person' in daily talk, hito is the usual word.
ningen kankei: relationships with the people around you, at work or school.
ningen dakara, machigai mo aru yo.
We're only human. Mistakes happen.
人間だから、間違いもあるよ。
ningen desu kara, machigai mo arimasu yo.
We're only human. Mistakes happen.
人間ですから、間違いもありますよ。
Written 人間 · にんげんRank #223 in 3,030 TV dramas
josei
woman; female
The polite, neutral word for a woman, common in news, shops and whenever you want to sound respectful.
The male counterpart is dansei. Softer than onna.
ano josei, dare da ka shitteru?
Do you know who that woman is?
あの女性、誰だか知ってる？
ano josei, dare da ka shitte imasu ka?
Do you know who that woman is?
あの女性、誰だか知っていますか？
Written 女性 · じょせいRank #501 in 3,030 TV dramas