Page 34 - Japanese Character Writing for Dummies

woman, female

On’na is a generic term for a woman. on’na no ko is a small or young girl.
josei is a more formal term for a woman (literally, female gender). You can use on’na by
JO, NYO/ itself, but this word is often used to indicate the actual gender and thus is not really appro-
priate when referring to a woman. When you write this kanji, make sure to start with the
on’na curved line from the top, not the horizontal line. And when you draw the curved line, aim
for a 90-degree angle at the left corner.

Radical: 女 Number of strokes: three

man/male

Does this kanji look complicated? No worries! It does have seven strokes, but if you learn
each constituent in a systematic manner, you will find this kanji to be quite simple. The
stroke order of this kanji starts from the left vertical line in the box-like part. Take a look
DAN/otoko at the stroke order in the practice section below; if you follow the drawing order shown
here, the movement will come naturally afterwards. Otoko is a general term that means a

man. otoko no ko means a small or young boy. dansei is a more formal
term for a man (literally male gender). Just like on’na, you can use otoko by itself, but in
regular conversation, it sounds somewhat impolite. So, stick with dansei or otoko no hito.

Radical: 田 Number of strokes: seven

28 Japanese Character Writing For Dummies