Line #23 UsefulNotes/GenderAndJapaneseLanguage


1	As stated elsewhere, Japanese includes several words or word-variants on the same concept to address the culturally important concepts of politeness and formality. This reflects the hierarchical nature of Japanese society, where formal social distinctions are more important than in present-day America.
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3	The same sort of social distinction also applies along gender lines. Because of this, there are distinct differences in the way men and women are expected to speak, with some words and constructions considered more masculine and others more feminine. The feminine words are called "''onna kotoba''" and the speech habits "''joseigo''". Some examples of this can be seen in the UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns entry. Other examples:
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5	* Sentence endings of "''wa yo''", "''wa ne''", "''no ne''", and "''no yo''" are usually feminine. "''Kai''", "''zo''", "''ze''", "''sa''", "''da''" and "''yo''" are more masculine. "''No''" and "''wa''" vary depending on pronunciation.[[note]]"''No''" with a rising tone is neutral and indicates curiosity, but with a falling tone is feminine and authoritative. "''Wa''" with a rising tone is a feminine exclamation, but with a falling tone is a neutral expression of surprise. In [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseDialects the Kansai dialect]], ''wa'' is gender-neutral and often used by both men and women.[[/note]]
6	* Women often speak in a higher register above and beyond that attributable to physiology.
7	* Women tend to use polite grammar more frequently, using polite forms of verbs and honorific prefixes such as ''o-'' and ''go-''.
8	* Women tend to omit the copula form "''da''" in favour of "''desu''". For men, it is the other way around. However, "''desu''" is considered to be polite Japanese for both genders; men using "''da''" in formal contexts would be rude.
9	* The pronouns ''watashi'' and ''anata'' tend to be rendered as ''atashi'' and ''anta''.
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11	There are, of course, exceptions to these general rules, with actual usage varying somewhat between different dialects, situations, and speakers. However, in media, a character speaking in a manner that does not traditionally fit their gender adds a different dimension to them that non-Japanese speakers would miss.
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13	One common trope in anime and manga is to have a strong female character, especially an ActionGirl, [[{{Bokukko}} use abrasive, masculine language]].
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15	In recent years, linguists and social commentators in Japan have noticed a shift in women's speaking habits. Younger Japanese women use less ''joseigo'' than previous generations, and the speech habits of anime and drama characters do not always represent modern-day Japanese women in real life (especially younger women). As with most changes in linguistic usage, opinion in Japan is divided on whether this is a good thing or not.
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17	On a related point, it may be interesting to note that unlike, say, most Romance languages such as French and Spanish, Japanese is not inflected by gender. As another curiosity, for a long time, the language did not have gendered third-person pronouns, using only 彼 ("that/it" when pronounced ''are'', "he/they (singular)" or "boyfriend"[[note]]In modern Japanese, "boyfriend" usually adds the ''-shi'' honorific to become 彼氏 (''kareshi'')[[/note]] when pronounced ''kare''), or the multi-word constructions 彼の人[[note]]''ano hito'' "that person"[[/note]], 彼の男[[note]]''ano otoko'' "that male"[[/note]] and 彼の女[[note]]''ano onna'' "that female"[[/note]] when more detail or formality was needed; the present-day contraction 彼女 (''kanojo'', "she" or "girlfriend", literally "that female") was originally coined to translate European texts. Even today though, for a variety of reasons ''kare/kanojo'' are used less often than their English counterparts; in particular, phrases like [[SaidBookism "he said", "she said" etc.]] are less necessary in Japanese fiction because quirks like gendered speech patterns can already fill their function of identifying the speaker.
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19	!!Examples:
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21	[[foldercontrol]]
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23	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
24	* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Yoruichi Shihouin speaks in a very masculine form when first appearing, making it all the more shocking to others when it is later revealed she is a (very attractive) woman. Her companion Kisuke Urahara is the inverse, a man who uses feminine personal pronouns.
25	* Tokiko Tsumura from ''Manga/BusoRenkin'' uses men's speech (''zo'', ''na'', ''kimi'' ("you"), ''da'' ("to be"), etc.), except the pronoun ''watashi'' ("I/me").
26	* At the end of ''Anime/DotHackSign'', [[spoiler:Tsukasa's player, revealed to be a girl, [[ExpositoryPronoun shifts]] from ''boku'' to ''atashi''.]] [[LostInTranslation The English subtitles make no note of this in any way]].
27	* Ryougi Shiki from ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' uses the masculine ''ore'' to refer to herself and speaks in a very rude and masculine pattern. [[spoiler:This is so she won't forget her alternate personality, which was male; he took her place when she died in a car accident two years ago.]]
28	* In ''Manga/KOn'', with the exception of using the gender-neutral pronoun ''watashi'' to refer to herself, Ritsu Tainaka utilizes quite masculine Japanese in her speech patterns (e.g., using the ''yagaru'' suffix when she's annoyed, ending sentences with the informal suffixes ''-e'', ''-n'', ''-da'', and ''-daro''; and never using feminine suffixes such as ''ne'' and ''wa''). She does use feminine pronouns from time to time, but it's usually when she's being sarcastic and/or tries to play innocent after having been accused of something ("Who, me?")\
29	When she has to play the part of [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet]] in the school play, she's forced to use feminine speech patterns. But then she continues to speak that way even backstage, gets very flustered when she realizes it, and claims that she was still in character.
30	* In the ''Literature/KinosJourney'' prequel OVA Kino speaks in feminine patterns, using ''atashi'' for "I" during most of her stay in her Master's place, as well as wearing a dress and keeping her hair long. After she returns from her first brief journey, [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange her hair has been cut short by the circumstances]], and she's shifted to masculine ''boku'' form, as well as finally being comfortable with her assumed name.
31	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
32	** The (male) character Orochimaru tends to speak in the feminine style. Unlike ''.hack//sign'', the American dub addresses this by making him have a feminine voice.
33	** The titular character finishes his sentences with "''dattabayo''", while his mother finishes her sentences with "''dattebane''". This fits with the feminine and masculine; otherwise they basically talk the exact same way.
34	* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has Perona, a pink-haired ElegantGothicLolita who loves cute, girly things, yet uses the same rough, masculine speech patterns as most men in the series. [[spoiler:Charlotte Pudding]] also occasionally uses masculine language when she [[BitchInSheepsClothing cuts the act]].
35	* Ranma in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' is neither feminine nor particularly polite, and tends towards rough, masculine speech under most circumstances -- even in [[GenderBender female form]].
36	* Given how fluid gender is in ''Manga/{{Simoun}}'' what pronouns are used by what characters varies quite a bit. For the character of Yun in particular, when she [[spoiler:switches from ''ore'' to ''atashi'']].
37	* This is a plot point in the first ''VideoGame/{{Star Ocean\|1}}''. Phia Mell is a tomboy (and captain of the Astral Guards) who always speaks using masculine speech. Her childhood friend Cyuss is nonplussed when he sees her speaking to him using feminine speech, which [[ImposterForgotOneDetail clues him in that the Phia he's talking is a fake]]. Unfortunately, in the translated remake, this was glossed over and substituted with a different clue entirely.
38	* In ''Superlink'', the Japanese version of ''Anime/TransformersEnergon'', Alpha-Q's pale, smiling face speaks in a high (but male) voice and uses female speech patterns. Another face also refers to this face as an "''oyama''", the Japanese word for a male actor who plays female parts in kabuki. The Alpha Q entity, however, is considered male. (However, as [[spoiler:the combined will of everyone on his planet who died when Unicron consumed it]], Alpha Q is probably not strictly male or female.[[labelnote:Clarification (Spoilers)]]Its "true" voice in the Japanese version is that of a young girl -- part of the idea that Alpha Q had a fifth, unseen face that was of the young, humanoid princess of Planet Q. This idea was not used -- nothing of it was said and flashbacks show Planet Q to have had a Transformer population -- namely, ''Terrorcons in different colors!'' The Energon version gives him the VoiceOfTheLegion to support the show's interpretation of Alpha Q as a gestalt entity.[[/labelnote]])
39	* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'': Ryuunosuke Fujinami has been raised to be a man amongst men -- handsome, tough, and aggressive. Too bad ''she's'' against the idea. However, her father's training has been so thorough that she can't help but slide into the masculine role... a conflict personified when she angrily protests "''Ore wa ONNA da!''" -- i.e. "''I'm a WOMAN!''", using the most masculine construction possible.\
40	In an anime episode where Lum finds herself traveling between several alternate dimensions, she finds one where everybody is a polar opposite of their original forms. Thus, Ryuunosuke is now a boy, wearing a girl's uniform, and tearfully proclaims "''Atashi wa otoko yo!''", a very feminine way of saying "I am a man!"
41	* One episode of ''Manga/TheWallflower'' features a photographer that for some reason begins to use feminine dialect when he gets agitated. The comments of his assistants indicate that it is a habit of his.
42	* Hinagiku, AKA Angel Daisy. from ''Manga/WeddingPeach'' uses ''ore'' and masculine, rough Japanese in general, even in her frilly, feminine Love Angel form.
43	* Leona Miyamura from ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'' uses masculine language (including the more masculine second-person pronoun ''omae''), while still using the (casually feminine) first-person pronoun ''watashi''.
44	* Yubel, the androgynous/hermaphrodite Duel Monster in the third season of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', is constantly referred to (even by itself) with masculine constructions... which wouldn't be half as bad, except that most of the time, it uses a woman's voice and mannerisms to convey itself.
45	[[/folder]]
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47	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
48	* In ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Kaitou Nakamura uses ''watashi'' in a posthumous video, while his own son Hiro has gotten into the habit of using the masculine ''ore''. ''Watashi'' and ''watakushi'' are more formal ways of saying "I"; in something like a will, it would seem fitting. Hiro used the more "boyish" ''boku'' in Season 1, but since his father's death, Hiro would had to have [[ExpositoryPronoun felt a need to "man up"]].
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51	[[folder:Video Games]]
52	* ''VideoGame/AzurLane'': Tennessee and Cleveland follow the "masculine sentence-ending particles with neutral/feminine pronouns" pattern; Ark Royal and Enterprise do so as well, though unlike previous examples, neither ship is particularly masculine or even tomboyish in behavior. Pennsylvania tends to switch between masculine and feminine speech, not following any particular pattern.
53	%%* Several of ''VideoGame/KanColle'''s ships follow the "masculine sentence-ending particles with neutral/feminine pronouns" pattern set by Marisa in ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' (see below), e.g. Nagato, Musashi, Nachi, Gangut, and Maya, an ''atashi'' user like [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Cackletta]].
54	* Cackletta in the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' uses ''atashi'' as her personal pronoun of choice with masculine sentence endings.
55	* On reaching the Hermit Social Link's fourth rank in ''VideoGame/Persona3'', Maya tells you about a creepy man in Paulownia Mall (the Devil Social Link, [[spoiler:President Tanaka]]). "You'll know him cuz he talks like a woman" is how she sums him up. The idea doesn't quite make the jump into languages without such enforced masculine/feminine speech patterns.
56	* In ''VisualNovel/Remember11'', where Kokoro (a woman) and Satoru (a man) have their [[FreakyFridayFlip minds swapped]] randomly throughout the story, their companions eventually learn to tell which personality is currently in control by listening to their manner of speaking.
57	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'':
58	** CuteWitch Marisa Kirisame uses masculine verb forms and [[VerbalTic typically ends her sentences]] with "''da ze''", but, in something of a twist, exclusively uses the gender-neutral (but feminine-leaning) pronoun ''watashi''. (This fact has tripped up enough {{doujin}} artists [[MoneyDearBoy just looking to cash in on the series' runaway popularity]] that "Marisa-who-says-''ore''" has [[MemeticMutation become something of an in-joke]] with the Japanese fanbase.)
59	** A few other characters follow Marisa's example. Examples include the oni [[Characters/TouhouChireidenSubterraneanAnimism Yuugi Hoshiguma]] and [[Characters/TouhouSideGames Suika Ibuki]] ([[TheLadette which is expected]]) and the Human Village's local teacher and guardian, [[Characters/TouhouEiyashouImperishableNight Keine Kawashirasawa]] (less so).
60	[[/folder]]
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Context UsefulNotes / GenderAndJapaneseLanguage