Translation guide
A person who wears clothing typically associated with the opposite gender. Japanese has several terms with different nuances, from clinical to slang.
To refer to a person who cross-dresses, without specifying sexual orientation or context.
Neutral term for a male who dresses as a woman. Often used in formal or descriptive contexts.
He is a famous cross-dresser.
Neutral term for a female who dresses as a man. Less common than 女装家.
She performs on stage as a cross-dresser (dressed as a man).
Slang term for a young male cross-dresser, often used in otaku or internet culture. Can imply cuteness.
That cross-dressing boy is very cute.
Colloquial term for a girl or woman who dresses in male clothing, often in fashion contexts.
Cross-dressing girls' fashion is popular.
To refer to cross-dressing in a medical or psychological context, often related to transvestism.
Clinical term for a transvestite. Rarely used in everyday conversation.
Transvestite is a medical diagnosis.
To refer to a cross-dresser in show business, such as drag queens or onnagata.
To refer to a cross-dresser in informal, often internet or otaku culture.
Common casual term for a male cross-dresser, often used online.
There are online communities for male cross-dressers.
Slang for a male who looks like a beautiful girl, often in anime/manga contexts. Can be fetishistic.
This term can be considered fetishizing or offensive outside of specific otaku circles.
The English word 'cross-dresser' is sometimes used as-is in Japanese (クロスドレッサー), but it is not widely understood. It's better to use the specific Japanese terms above depending on context.
女装 (josou) means dressing as a woman, and 男装 (dansou) means dressing as a man. These are the base words for many compounds. Use 女装 for male-to-female cross-dressing and 男装 for female-to-male.
Kabuki onnagata appear more feminine than real women.
The main character of that manga is a cross-dressing boy who looks like a girl.