Translation guide
The English word "gender" can refer to grammatical gender, biological sex, or social gender identity. In Japanese, these are expressed with different terms, and the concept is often handled differently in everyday language.
Referring to noun classes in grammar (masculine, feminine, neuter).
Used in linguistics to mean grammatical gender. Often combined with other characters, e.g., 男性名詞 (masculine noun).
German nouns have three genders.
Loanword from English, used in academic contexts for grammatical gender, but more commonly for social gender.
Referring to male or female sex of living beings.
The standard word for biological sex. Used on forms, in medical contexts, and in everyday conversation.
Referring to gender as a social or personal identity, distinct from biological sex.
The most common term for social gender, used in discussions of gender roles, identity, and equality.
Referring to the sex of animals.
Same as for humans, used for animals in general.
Asking someone's gender directly with 性別は何ですか can be too blunt. In casual conversation, it's often avoided or inferred from context. On forms, it's standard.
Are you male or female? (Still direct, but slightly softer)
性別 (seibetsu) refers to biological sex, while ジェンダー (jendā) refers to social gender. In many contexts, 性別 is used for both, but ジェンダー is preferred when discussing social roles or identity.
Please select your gender.
この言語には文法上のジェンダーがありません。
This language has no grammatical gender.
Please tell me your gender/sex.
This form has a field to fill in your gender/sex.
Often used in compounds like 男性 (male) and 女性 (female). Alone, it can sound technical.
Let's talk about the differences between males and females.
Gender equality is an important issue.
He was struggling with his gender identity.
Formal term for gender identity, used in psychology and LGBTQ+ contexts.
Gender identity varies from person to person.
Clinical term for gender identity, often used in medical or legal contexts.
The term gender identity disorder is not used much nowadays.
Is this dog's gender male or female?
A more technical term for male and female animals, often used in biology.
It's difficult to tell the gender of this bird.
Gender should not determine your career.