Boy in Japanese: shounen, danshi, or otokonoko, explained in detail

How to say “boy” in Japanese

There are multiple ways to say “boy” in Japanese. In this blog post, however, I will focus on the three of them: “shounen”, “danshi”, and “otokonoko”. I will explain these three words in detail based on their kanji expressions and also how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to say “boy” properly in Japanese. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shounen”
• “Shounen” in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “boy” in Japanese
• Definition and meaning of “danshi”
• “Danshi” in kanji
  • Example #2: how to use “danshi”
• Definition and meaning of “otokonoko”
  • Example #3: how to use “otokonoko”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shounen”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shounen”.

• shounen – 少年 (しょうねん) : a noun meaning ‘boy’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘boys’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.

This word sounds formal and polite, so would be suitable for formal situations. To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Shounen” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in the word, “shounen”.

• 少 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘little’, ‘small’, ‘tiny’, or such in Japanese.
• 年 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘age’, ‘year’, or such in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “shounen” literally means ‘little age’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but not so far away, I think.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shounen” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “shounen” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “boy” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun which refers to a thing not close to the speaker. This works in a similar way that the English determiner, “that”, does. In the example, it is used before “shounen” to say “that boy” in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is used after the noun phrase, “ano shounen”, to make the subject in the sentence.
• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ in Japanese.
• chiisai – 小さい (ちいさい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘small’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “shounen”. In this example, it works as a singular noun to mean ‘boy’. When we want to say “boy” or “boys” in a polite way in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.

Definition and meaning of “danshi”

Next, then, let me explain the definition and meaning of “danshi”.

• danshi – 男子 (だんし) : a noun meaning ‘boy’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘boys’.

Basically Japanese native speakers use this word to mean ‘boy’ or ‘boys’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, however, they use it to mean ‘young man’ or ‘young men’. And it still sounds formal. So, this word can cover more situations than “shounen”.

To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Danshi” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “danshi”.

• 男 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘man’, ‘men’, ‘male’, or such in Japanese.
• 子 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘child’, ‘children’, ‘kid’, or ‘kids’ in Japanese. This can also be found in other words like “kodomo“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “danshi” literally means ‘man child’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think.

Then, let me explain how to use “danshi” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to use “danshi”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a particular place where someone or something is. In the example, it is used after “gakkou” to indicate the particular place where boys are. The role of this particle is similar to those of “at” and “in” in English.
• iru – いる : a verb meaning ‘to be’, ‘to exist’, ‘to present’, or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “danshi”. In this example, it works as a plural noun to mean ‘boys’. When we want to say “boy” or “boys” in Japanese, this word would be a good option. It can cover more situations than “shounen”.

Definition and meaning of “otokonoko”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “otokonoko”.

• otokonoko – 男の子 (おとこのこ) : a noun meaning ‘boy’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘boys’.

This word consists of the same two kanji characters as “danshi”, but “の” is inserted between them. It works as a case particle to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaning of its preceding word. In this case, therefore, it works to limit the meaning of ‘child’ with the meaning of ‘man’. So, the very basic concept of this word can be interpreted as ‘man child’, namely ‘boy’.

Then, let me explain how to use “otokonoko” through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to use “otokonoko”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is used after “otokonoko” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes (or comes). In the example, it is used after “ie” to indicate the particular place to which “otokonoko” came.
• ki – 来 (き) : one conjugation of the verb, “kuru”, which means ‘to come’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its past tense form. In the example, it is used after the conjugated verb, “ki”, to make its past tense form, “ki ta”.

This is a typical usage of “otokonoko”. This sounds more casual than the other two. When we want to say “boy” or “boys” in casual situations, therefore, this word would be a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the three ways to say “boy” in Japanese. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shounen – 少年 (しょうねん) : a noun meaning ‘boy’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘boys’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘little age’. This kanji concept is not so far away from the meaning.
• danshi – 男子 (だんし) : a noun meaning ‘boy’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘boys’. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘man child’. This kanji concept is very close to the meaning, ‘boy’. Depending on the situation and context, this word can also mean ‘young man’ or ‘young men’. So, it can cover more situations than “shounen”.
• otokonoko – 男の子 (おとこのこ) : a noun meaning ‘boy’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘boys’. This sounds more casual than the other two. When we want to say “boy” or “boys” in casual situations, therefore, this word would be a good option.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.